EVIDENTLY, the government has selected neutral for a transport policy as its Green Paper on the way forward - the first national transport strategy document for 20 years - turns out to be a damp squib.

For it steers clear of controversy and offers few suggestions on coping with the traffic explosion.

Matters such as road pricing, taxing company car parks, privatisation of roads and curbing cars in town centres are largely ignored.

And there is no grand policy that would pave the way for a much-need integrated transport system based on making public transport the attractive alternative for millions in order to counter car-led congestion.

Why is the Green Paper so weak?

There are two reasons.

The first is that inspiration for it was disingenuous - based not on the government's desire for a genuine debate on transport, but to cul-de-sac the issue of its wholesale cuts in road building in order to pay for tax cuts.

Secondly, the Green Paper seems to have what teeth it possessed pulled so that no controversy harms the government's election campaign.

The plan, it seems, is to keep quiet on war on the car - as drivers are voters. All of note that is left is a welcome boost for cycling, with a target of it being doubled by 2002, and proposals for councils to be given the right to control traffic in their areas through the use of permits - which, without a national strategy, could lead to car "wars" between local authorities which seek to attract driver-shoppers to their towns' rival retail developments.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.