Letter: What car crisis?

What car crisis?

Sir: Professor G V R Born's throwaway remark (Letters, 20 November) that "all environmentally aware people are trying to think of ways to counter the car crisis" perpetuates the myth that cars are the prime cause of problems with our environment.

In fact, if we are talking about greenhouse gases, motor transport only accounts for one-fifth of the 4.5 per cent of these gases that are man- made. And, if we are talking about air pollution, then only 5 per cent of the worrying PM10 emissions are caused by petrol engines (ie cars), with a further 19 per cent being due to diesel engines - including buses.

The lie that cars are the main cause of environmental damage is now repeated so often, and challenged so little, that it is becoming an accepted fact, when the reality is very different.

JAMES CADLE

High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire