LETTER TO THE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
THE HERALD SUN

Urban  expert  Dr Healy told lobby group Victoria First that Melbourne
was  headed for "CARmageddon". (Herald Sun 01/02/2014) He said that by
2031 the number of cars on  our  already clogged  roads  would rise 46
per cent. He said better public transport wouldn't help.

Dr   Healy  must  assume that car ownership and usage will continue as
they  are  and  that  there  are  no  legitimate  alternatives  to car
ownership.

Single-occupant  cars  make  up  75  per cent of vehicles clogging our
roads,   many  on  unnecessary  trips.  To keep Melbourne liveable, of
course  we need more  public  transport but we also need to discourage
single-occupant  car  use  and  encourage  other  forms  of  transport
including motorcycles & scooters.

One  way  to  encourage  more  efficient  road  use  is  to reform the
Transport Accident Commission.

TAC     compulsory     third     party    premiums   reflect   neither
environmentally-friendly  vehicles  nor  safe  use. Drivers should pay
less  for  vehicles  that  pollute  less and do less road damage. Safe
drivers should pay lower premiums for not causing claims.

Damien Codognotto
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne