20 May 97 

The Editor
The Evening Post

Dear Editor

Your report on 19 May, ‘None to happy about car ban plan’ was sadly biased and sensationalist. Some serious journalism on the problems caused by the growth of motor vehicle use would be extremely useful.

Asking the motor industry what they think of car free areas is as useful as asking the tobacco industry what they think of smoke free areas. The response is so predictable. ‘Smoke/Car free areas are unworkable’; ‘A smoking/motor vehicle ban will be bad for the economy’; ‘People have a right to smoke/drive where they want’; ‘Smoking isn’t bad for your health/ Wellington doesn’t have a pollution problem’. Get real!

Like smoking, motor vehicle use results in toxic emissions. Like smoking, motor vehicle emissions are so small that they can be ignored for a long time. Slowly, but surely they accumulate in our ecosystem and our atmosphere. Like smoking, the private use of motor vehicles will eventually be a problem that the entire community has to face up to.

The reduction of motor vehicle use in Wellington is a vital part of the ‘Our City, Our Future’ plan. It’s part of a vision that sees Wellington becoming a sustainable city - hopefully part of a sustainable planet. What’s the alternative?

The Wellington City Council have the vision - ‘Our City, Our Future’ - now they need the fortitude to implement it. Start planning for the inevitable now - improve public transport and cycling/pedestrian facilities; reduce private motor vehicle use.

Yours sincerely

 The Kennett Bro’s