Letter: No green future with the CAP

Sir: The proposals by the Liberal Democrats to increase petrol tax may be the "greenest" commitment by any of the main parties, but they certainly won't be enough to tackle rising traffic levels. Indeed, by encouraging more economical cars they may well help to raise traffic levels further. There would be fewer noxious emissions, but other forms of pollution would not be relieved.

Several years ago, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution came to the conclusion that a doubling of petrol prices would be needed as one of a package of measures to cut traffic levels. Anything less is unlikely to offer sufficient incentive for rural motorists to get out of their cars and help support a decent level of service for non-motorists in rural areas, where projected traffic growth is concentrated.

SIMON NORTON

Cambridge