The lengthy Economist story contains a number of suggestions on how these cities are dealing with traffic. Some of the traffic solutions appear to be rather extreme but are said to be more and more necessary.

The favoured suggestion for keeping cars off the roads is a fee paid by motorists for use of scarce road space. Much of the money collected from these motorists would be used to finance improvements in the public transportation system. So long as roads, unlike public transport, remain free to the public, traffic growth looks inevitable. It seems that Singapore, Stockholm and Oslo have already demonstrated that a combination of road charging and investment in public transportation can be successful and can be sold to the public.

According to the Economist "the old myth'' that the way to deal with traffic congestion is to build new roads has now been discredited.

A study on car dependence by the Royal Automobile Club in Britain last year found that the use of a car was essential for only about one-fifth of journeys in Britain. Most journeys are short with one quarter under two miles and many could be made without a car if there were incentives not to drive. Persuading drivers to leave their cars behind will require high parking fees, free out-of-town parking and inner city pedestrian areas.

Part of the problem with seeking traffic solutions in Bermuda is that the Corporations have control over traffic arrangements in the City and the Town and they meet in secret to suit themselves and a very small number of voters.

Hamilton Corporation, which uses a fabulous waterfront for parking and can't make up its mind to close one block where pedestrianisation is already so heavy that traffic is almost impossible, cannot be relied upon to make decisions affecting the whole Country. What a small place like Bermuda needs is general solutions.

We have no idea what the committee studying traffic is considering or why it is taking so long but we would bet that it is not biting hard on any bullets and that its recommendations will be little more than pablum. That is not what Bermuda needs. Over and over again the Government has delayed solutions for fear of upsetting the voters. We may be at that point where failure to promote solutions will upset voters more. Part of the problem is that the Government seems to live in terror of a very small section of the population which dominates the radio talk shows with often quite extraordinary opinions. That gives far too much power to people whose opinions are generally not very sensible.

The conditions on the roads right now are frustrating Bermudians and are almost bound to lead to road rage. They are also damaging tourism. Bus service has improved both in frequency and in the condition of the buses. However visitors cannot be anything but uncomfortable either riding or walking on the roads and are held captive to very high taxi fares.