Letter: Traffic choices

Letter: Traffic choices

Sir: Donald Macintyre's excellent article neatly summarises many of the transport challenges facing this government ("Blaming John Prescott is not the way to solve our traffic problems", 29 July).

Many commentators portray persuading people out of their cars and on to public transport as some sort of religious conversion, irreversible, absolute and therefore too difficult to attempt. As if a confirmed private motorist one day could be transformed into a rabid public transport enthusiast overnight.

The reality is that every day, each of us has a series of choices to make about which mode of transport is the most appropriate for each individual journey. Sometimes car, sometimes walking, sometimes bus, sometimes Tube. Congestion-charging, bus lanes and traffic management are merely tools designed to extend these choices as widely as possible. This is not anti- car or anti-anything else, just common sense.

MICHAEL BARTLETT

Confederation of Passenger Transport UK

London WC2