Mike Mitchell wrote in message ...

And the Belgium taxpayers are paying for free commuting which benefits
their environment, their health and their children's safety by having
fewer cars on the roads.


NO! There is no such thing as good free public transport. Providing it at
the expense of the majority taxpayers, simply distorts the market and
enables an elite minority to continue with an unsustainable way of life. The
number of cars on the road decreases by a negligible amount. The much
vaunted London congestion charge only increased rush hour bus usage by 111
people per day( if I have done the sums correctly). If you wish to live in
a socialist state, where everyone WILL use public transport, then take the
honest solution and ban personal ownership of any means of transport
(including bikes) and increase income tax to pay for it! Then try to get
re-elected!

As a further comment, how many people become sick from say colds as a result
of using public transport and what does this cost? It is reckoned that the
infection rate on a transatlantic jumbo jet is close to 100%!

The problem is not public transport, but centralised employment! Public
transport is an uneconomic patch applied to cover up the real problem.

In 1970, 90% of people in new towns worked locally. Today, it's less than
30% as a result of employment instability together with lack of housing
mobility. Public transport has no hope of providing the transport routes
required!

Regards
Capitol