> > Basically, I think there is something very
> > wrong in a society if you live within 50 miles
> > of a city where you work in an office and have
> > to drive to work.
>
> ?! What else do you expect us to do, walk fifty miles each direction per day? Or maybe we shold just go back to horse and buggy. Much less efficient and way more maintenance, but oh well. Or maybe we could fly to work in our own private helicopters.

Nice image. Personally, I commute 30 or so miles each way every day. London's public transport is terrible, but for reasons of cost (both to myself and to the environment), I choose not to own a car. This means that I spend an hour twice a day straphanging. If I'm lucky I actually get a seat.

Decent public transport should exist in all major towns and cities as a basic right, but it won't untill people use the existing facilities and it becomes obvious to the service providers that it is worth the investment.

Obviously, anyone is free to own a car if they so choose, and even to use it for everything from going down to the shops for a newspaper to a 500 drive to your location. Personally, though I would encourage people to use puplic transport, if only so that when I'm in your corner of the world, you have a good system for me to use.

Interesting to note that the very idea of public transport evidently didn't occur to eric. Is that a common reaction in America? In England it would occur and be instantly dismissed because of the poor state of the system.

winter"just my tuppence worth"mute