Letter: Change is key to motor car gridlock

Sir: The main problem with traffic is pollution. Delays are annoying, but it is what comes out of a vehicle's exhaust that does the real damage.

Ten per cent of traffic produces about 50 per cent of vehicle pollution (mainly caused by diesels). Should we not be hearing from John Prescott a few words on how he intends to reduce that diesel pollution in the current fleet of diesel vehicles?

The technology has been available for a decade to stop toxic diesel soot, yet it sits unused on a shelf due to the lack of will from any government, Tory or Labour. If we submit to Mr Prescott's park and ride we will get rid of lots of cars from our roads but, in their place will be a huge increase in heavy polluting buses that will have to be brought into service to meet those demands.

Until diesel exhaust is looked at more carefully, there is no real alternative to the car.

MARTIN WYNESS

Windermere, Cumbria