It is generally accepted that in this life you don't get anything for nothing.

And so, with that in mind, the Transportation Planning Team, which was briefed with finding ways to reduce traffic on Bermuda's roads, have come up with a number of traffic management initiatives that will not only encourage residents to leave their cars and bikes at home, but force them to.

Most countries in the world do not have the restrictions in place that Bermuda has when it comes to who can ride on the roads, how and with what.

But even with those restrictions, the growth of vehicle use is expected to reach unmanageable levels as we progress through the 21st century.

In an effort to make it more attractive, Transport Minister Dr. Brown has unveiled a number of suggestions on how to make the buses, ferries and shuttle bus services more user-friendly, cheaper, faster and comfortable.

However, proposals revealed on Thursday could also lead to some pretty radical moves with regards vehicle regulations.

The steering committee of the National Transportation Management Report has also examined ways to introduce schemes that will reduce the use of private vehicles during peak hours, either by incentives or force.

Among the report's suggestions is a carpooling programme. It is proposed that the Transport Control Department take the responsibility in developing an Island-wide computer matching carpooling programme, that can be used within businesses and schools.

And it is also suggested that companies be encouraged to sponsor Travel Plans that include incentives for carpooling, and subsidised and priority parking spaces for those that carpool.

The report states that a public survey carried out in 1999 indicated that 23 percent of those that responded had more than one person in their car, while 37 percent drove alone. And the Business Transportation Survey 2000 showed that 26 percent shared journeys to work, while 43 percent drove alone.

The steering committee, made up of representatives from the ministries of Transport, Works and Engineering and the Environment, along with Bermuda Police, said it believed its individual and business surveys had indicated public support for the idea of carpooling.

It said most businesses showed support for the scheme and said a viable option would be for both schools and businesses to develop Travel Plans.

Another option suggested, which would prove more controversial, would be to implement traffic reduction initiatives which would reduce eligibility for people to drive cars, which is to be looked at as a possibility.

One of the proposals suggested was to establish a upper limit on the number of cars by establishing a maximum number of vehicles allowed.

The advantages of it would be that congestion would remain at the same level as when the limit was imposed.

And it would also encourage more people to use public transport, as well as bring international recognition to Bermuda as the only country to take such serious measures.

But there are also big disadvantages, especially for some, more than others. Young people, and those that do not presently own cars, may be unable to have one for some time.

And it may also discourage businesses from locating to Bermuda, as there would be no guarantee of car ownership.

A rush to buy a car might also occur before the upper limit was introduced.

However, the Ministry of Transport believes that although controversial, a maximum limit is inevitable if current car ownership trends continue.

It is proposed that a Task Force be established to examine existing legislation, and other proposals be introduced before the limit was established, such as carpooling programme, improved public transport and business and school travel plans formed.

Creative licensing schemes is another option for Government to consider when trying to bring the level of vehicles on our roads under control.

The Transportation Planning Team examined several options for reducing qualified licensed drivers, including:

* Limiting cars to certain driver segments.

* Increase the age to own a car from 18 to 21.

* Decrease the maximum age from unlimited to 65.

* Increase the driving age for cycles.

* Provide incentives for not owning a car.

* Make it more difficult to reinstate a driver's licence.

Some suggest that limiting car ownership to certain residents of Bermuda is one method of controlling the number of cars. Suggestions that have been made in the past include restricting some expatriate groups, and stipulating that single people and married couples without children not be allowed to have a car.

However, any of these would prove controversial and it could be argued that some segments of society may need a car more than others.

And although it is easy to isolate certain groups of people, there is no research or hard facts that prove that non-Bermudian workers own more cars than Bermudians.

No decisions to prevent car ownership to any groups have been proposed. However, it has been suggested in the report that more research be conducted to see if certain segments should be identified as qualifying to own a car.

Including in that research is a proposal to differentiate between Bermudians and non-Bermudians on licensing applications at the Transport Control Department, along with research among company employers to get a breakdown on ownership among expatriate workers.

It has been suggested that the current qualified driver's age of 18 be retained, instead of increasing it to 21, along with the current maximum age of over 65 be kept.

The Ministry of Transport believes that neither those between 18 and 21, and those over the age of 65, contribute significantly to peak-period traffic congestion.

The steering committee also studied the viability of increasing the age of when young people can begin to ride auxiliary cycles from the present legislation of 16 years, to 18 years.

However, it was believed that children in this age group would still have to be transported , either by public transport or a parent or guardian in a car, so it was more likely to increase traffic, rather than reduce it.

However, it has been suggested that one way to entice people away from car ownership and onto public transport would be to bribe them with incentives

One option to discourage a home from buying a car would be by offering free or discounted annual bus and ferry passes to all family members residing in the households.

The Ministry believes it will be difficult to determine the costs, or the benefits, but providing such an incentive could lead to less reliance on the car for some people, although it could prove very costly.

The report has suggested that an analysis be conducted to determine the cost and benefits of providing all members of households not having a car free annual bus and ferry passes.

And the Ministry of Transport is also to co-ordinate with the Ministry of Finance on other incentives for not having a registered car.

Perhaps, one of the most controversial of all of the 120 proposals is the one to eliminate second hand cars from the Island altogether.

The sale of second hand cars was introduced in 1994. Prior to that, people wishing to sell their car had to either destroy it, ship it off the Island, or wait a year before buying another one.

Dr. Brown said that between April 1, 2000 and March 31, 2001, there were 2,069 new cars registered and 1,875 used cars, indicating that the used car market is having an impact on the amount of traffic.

The Ministry also believes that older cars emit more pollutants than newer ones, and as a result of those reasons, the ministry supports a ban on the second-hand car market.

The ministry is therefore reviewing whether Bermuda should return to the previous legislation on second-hand cars, or develop other methods that would have the same effect in reducing the number of cars.