Letter: Drivers need to take responsibility for their share in pollution

WE WOULD certainly solve the problems caused by goods vehicle deliveries by banning diesel,but no diesel means no delivery vehicles - which means no deliveries. Environmentally sweet for Mr Hanlon in his car, but isn't that fuelled by petrol delivered by a diesel burning tanker?

In the UK there are 23 million cars and 400,000 goods vehicles. It is not too difficult to work out where the responsibility for congestion and pollution lies.

Industry is becoming smarter in moving more goods in fewer vehicles and improvements are coming all the time - a 1998 lorry emits about a third of the pollutants of a 1982 vehicle.

John Prescott's Transport White Paper has to recognise this reality and, unlike Mr Hanlon, provide practical measures to keep people and goods on the move. Remedies need to be rational and practical.

Geoff Dossetter

Freight Transport Association

Tunbridge Wells, Kent