Politicians must accept that as many as 50 per cent of our citizens will eventually run cars, and they must be prepared to provide the facilities necessary. The thought that the car can be replaced by the train, bus and, perhaps, tram is laughable, and this fact is fully exploited by politicians at central government and local level by the imposition of petrol tax, road tax, road tolls, and parking charges.

It is essential, with regard to the car and all forms of public transport, that the use of fossil fuel is phased out as soon as possible.

JOHN WILSON

House o' Hill Road

Edinburgh

Car usage is not going to change until we see a fundamental shift in our attitude to cars. Most of us see it as a right to put a car on the road, but as the impact of cars on our environment and, indeed, on our health and wellbeing, continues to spiral out of control we need to see it much more as a privilege.

Once that seismic shift in attitude has taken place, there needs to be a recognition that the privilege of putting a car on the road should be reserved for those who have earned it and deserve it. This means denying the privilege of car use to those who deserve to forfeit it through their own actions. Drivers who show contempt for speed limits and other forms of road traffic regulations, for the Highway Code and for fellow road users should be denied the privilege of driving.

DAVID J DRUMMOND

South Gyle Road

Edinburgh

You report that "Scots are using their cars more, despite massive efforts aimed at getting motorists to use public transport". As a reader and motorist living just a few miles from Scotland's capital, can I ask the obvious question, what efforts and what public transport?

For instance, last Saturday, instead of driving into town I walked to Linlithgow railway station to catch the 12:36 train to Edinburgh. It consisted of two coaches which were already crammed to overflowing, with the conductor firmly barring the door and saying he could not permit anyone to alight because of serious overcrowding. The next packed train, once again consisting of decrepit and truncated rolling stock, arrived at 12:44 and this time the female conductor prevented anyone from alighting by frantically blowing her whistle and screaming at those on the platform to stand back as there was no room aboard.

Eventually, the 13:06 arrived at 13:09 and, this time, ignoring the shouts from another conductor who was determined not to let anyone board his precious train, some of us squeezed into the seriously overcrowded carriage, drawing disapproving looks from those already starved of space and oxygen. Unfortunately, many wannabe passengers were still left standing on the platform.

This example I have given is far from unique and so I cannot agree with Stewart Stevenson, the transport minister, when he claims that public transport can be a lot less stressful, removing the frustration associated with car travel. And I know that I am far from alone in having those thoughts.

HENRY SNEDDEN

St Magdalenes

Linlithgow, West Lothian