Letter: Off the road

Sir: Deborah Orr rightly concludes that drastically curbing private car use in urban areas is essential in tackling pollution and other traffic problems ("A new line in hypocrisy", 29 January). But this needn't be as painful as she implies, as long as we avoid equating the solution to car-dependency with "improved public transport".

Better buses, trains and trams are essential. But most new car travel is not former public transport travel. While public transport travel has fallen by about 40 per cent since the 1950s, car and van use has grown over 1,000 per cent. And many of these new, longer car trips are not easily done on conventional public transport. Improved walking and cycling conditions are also urgently needed. But, however good public transport, walking and cycling become, they cannot match the "service quality" provided by the family car.

A car is like the ultimate Swiss Army Knife - a multi-purpose household tool combined in attractive, shiny packaging. People will give up this tool, but only if they are offered others which do the same jobs.

This means radical expansion of home delivery services, safe routes for school travel, improved local taxis, neighbourhood car-owning co-ops, part-year car hire and a host of similar services.

Such services will not develop in earnest until private car use is deliberately curbed. So come on, Mr Prescott, curb the car and set us free.

BEN PLOWDEN

Director

The Pedestrians Association

London EC1