By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the carts, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.

SO according to the Bible, the wrath of God was to be visited upon the ancient city of Tyre, in Lebanon in the shape of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Babylonians, for some infraction or evil way of life. Nebuchadnezzar, in fact, used up some 13 years besieging Tyre, but never got his tanks into the city, which ended up having to pay an annual tribute to get the king to go home. Tyre was spared the damaging effects of the king's chariots, which were then to towns what automobiles are to us. In modern times we need no bolt from above, for the wrath of the automobile is visited daily upon the community. Roadways are blacktopped killing fields, no man's lands to people and beasts. No one needs to question where all the land crabs or frogs have gone. They have been systematically flattened into oblivion by the abundance of vehicles on the roads, along with any cats and dogs that get in the way.

Vehicles seem to increase faster than the birthrate of frogs and clog the streets and the once-tranquil back roads, as drivers seek to evade traffic jams. Many seem to think that it is a birthright to be able to drive from one place to another, without the impediments caused by others who think the same. Nowhere can one find this to be written.

The plague of automobiles will likely be upon us until the end of time, which in the case of Bermuda could have come in the form of a nuclear winter during the Cold War, or in the future by global warming, as the sea inundates low-lying land and roads, such as the airport and Causeway. In the meantime, we need to come up with some solutions to the problem of traffic, which will also be with us forever, but can be lessened by the application of a good idea or two.

Premier Ewart Brown last week enunciated one such idea in the media under what can be titled Free the buses and the ferries. This is not a new concept and has been written about in Letters to Editors by Andrew Doble and otherwise advocated by MP Trevor Moniz, sometime Shadow Minister of Transport. What is new is that the leader of the country has proposed the concept, and as Dr. Brown is also the Minister of Transport and Tourism, something might happen.

Of course, the Philistines will rise to the surface, like flotsam after a shipwreck. They will say: "No, that is wrong, everyone must pay." Here one might agreed with a definition of Philistines, who are 'said to be materialistic, to favour conventional social values unthinkingly'. Matthew Arnold described them as 'the people who believe most that our greatness and welfare are proved by our being very rich'.

Philistine views aside, the idea of free public transport is not only worth exploring, but should be approved and implemented without delay.

Free public transport would be a boon for all and of detriment to none. There are already large groups known as seniors who travel for free. Not even taxi drivers would suffer, for many are those who would never step onto public transport, even if it were free.

One of the benefits of free public transport would be the removal of some cars from the roads, for many would take the free rides, if available. This is one of the main ways in which traffic jams might be somewhat alleviated, which will please those who will not leave their cars at home during work hours.

Free public transport would benefit those least capable of paying and who cannot afford to run a car. It would be a grant in aid to all families with children, allowing the youngsters to travel freely for school and related activities. In earlier times, we used to pedal bikes for free, but today such riders risk quickly going the way of the land crabs and frogs.

Free public transport would relieve drivers and pilots of being a policing force that has to ensure that everyone pays. Their interaction with the public would thus be used solely as ambassadors. It would not solve the problem of anti-social children on the buses, but might solve the issue of vandalism, since there would be no money to steal from the ticket boxes in parked buses.

Schedules for public transport could also be kept more readily, as there would be none of the delays now experienced at each stop by the checking and punching of many different types of tickets, or arguing, especially with visitors, about 'exact change'.

For tourism, free public transport could be one of the best pieces of word-of-mouth advertising ever devised for visitors. This could be worth more than the effects of organised parties that are intended to add value to Bermuda, for visitors would be free to make their own plans for fun, with free transport. They would be inclined to travel the island more widely and frequently, as the transport was free. Their previous buses fares would inevitably be spent in local businesses and tourism attractions. They would likely be compelled to spend more, as that is often the result of getting something for free.

Free transport would remove one of the major sore points with many visitors, namely the difficulty of getting about the place. Free transport would immediately set their minds into a friendly mode and with the ambassadorial status of bus drivers and ferry crews, most of the aggravation of travelling in Bermuda would be removed. Such potential hassle would be replaced by a harmonious relationship between the travelling public and the personnel who provide the services, a daily boon for all.

It would seem that the one of the few things against the concept of free public transportation is the question of how it will be paid for. The system is already much subsidised, as it cannot bring in enough revenues to pay its own way.

Since the word-of-mouth advertising often that has a value that Madison Avenue may not be able to put together, the budget for normal advertising could be cut. Word-of-mouth advertising is virtually free, or in the present example, the cost of a few dollars per visitor for free transport, which we could recoup funds by slightly raising the hidden room and airport taxes. Reassigning personnel associated with ticketing, cash accounting, banking and so on could obtain further funding.

The road tax for cars could be raised a bit, to make up some of the lost revenue. For, as stated, nowhere is it written that car drivers have a birthright to travel about unimpeded by other vehicles. Those who wish to maintain the privilege of private transport will have to give something to encourage others to take public transport, so that traffic can move at a reasonable flow. If you are in this privileged group, cast your vote for free public transport and graciously pay a little extra for your road tax.

In our materialistic society, few encouragements work as well as the notion that we are getting something for free. Local residents who must use public transport should immediately warm to the idea, our visitors will love it, and even the upper crust from Hamilton offices are likely to jump aboard with gusto.

Mr. Premier, 'Tear down this wall' and free the buses and ferries.