COUNCILLOR David Begg (May 7) is correct in his present assessment of traffic congestion, but we cannot see the future clearly. Almost exactly 200 years ago Thomas Malthus predicted that the human race would starve itself because food production would not keep pace with population expansion. That did not happen because technical fixes have solved the problem so far. The solution to the traffic problem may not be on the road.
Now in his 90s, we have a friend who remembers his days as a young businessman in Glasgow. He did his deals with travelling salesmen in the Glasgow tearooms. He thinks two innovations led to the end of that. One was the electric kettle. He could save time and some travelling by having coffee with the salesman in his own office. The other was the telephone. Deals were done by wire and that saved a lot of salesmen's travel.
Modern communications may save even more. The fax and e-mail may see the paper letter going the way of the telegram and the tearooms. We do not know what the new electronics will bring.
An American teacher told her pupils that had it not been for Mr Edison's invention of the electric lamp, we should all be watching television by candlelight. I can only add that had the electric lamp not been invented, we should have long since run out of tallow for making candles for our TV-rooms.
Chris Parton,
40 Bellshill Road, Uddingston.
May 7.
IT was very disappointing to read Councillor/Professor Begg's diatribe (May 7), trotting out all the usual claptrap of those who have not done their homework and realised what a major advantage the motor car is. And for him to say ''Your comments were short on analysis and offered no solutions . . . '' is rich indeed - although his letter is twice as long, it is totally negative and does neither thing!
Mr Begg and people like him, instead of trotting out unhelpful cliches about ''improving facilities for walking and cycling'', should start looking seriously at the potential solutions which are available. If they do not, the millions of car users will simply ensure that they are not re-elected.
There are a considerable number of potential solutions, mostly the result of the latest technology, of which the following are just a few:
1. We should appreciate the advances already made: most cars being sold today are six to eight times less polluting than cars made in 1987. There is proof of this, and this rate of improvement puts the growth of traffic in the shade.
2. It is already known that improved motor-car designs, such as the ''Hybrid'' car, offer massive further improvements including the trebling of fuel economy with even less pollution and no loss of performance.
3.The ''Hybrid'' car can also reduce global warming by a factor of three.
4. The standard of road engineering in many cities is disgraceful: basic road engineering rules are routinely broken by planners, and roads departments allow it to happen. The resulting traffic jams - not to mention the accidents - are already avoidable.
One could go on, but this letter is already 400% more constructive than Mr Begg's.
What we need is that people like Mr Begg should be replaced by competent road engineers who are prepared to say ''No'' to the politicians and planners when that is needed. Then we could look forward to to efficient use of the motor car and public transport - the best of both worlds.
Peter M Spinney,
Westerton Dean,
Mugdock,
Glasgow,
May 8.
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