HOW refreshing to read in last week's Citizen the interview with Morecambe Labour MP Geraldine Smith's condemnation of the terrible state of public transport in Britain after decades of wilful neglect and over-emphasis on road transport.

This country remains the most road dependent in all of Europe. Even the USA and Canada have more freight carried by rail than us and passenger rate is also rising with increasing use of light rails systems in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Most of it, even the national rail system Amtrack, is state owned. No "free market" dogmas there, contrary to the ludicrous situation in Britain! It is time for a root and branch change.

The current fuel price protest combined with the awful consequences of global warming to which traffic fumes and dirty capitalism contribute so much, merely focuses the attention of thinking people on the vital question of transport. This is why we can appreciate Geraldine Smith's open ability to face the facts, unlike many of the political troglodytes who correspond in the Citizen.

Britain is in fact one of the cheapest places overall to run a road vehicle, contrary to the right-wing spin doctors currently hogging the limelight.

The proportion of average income needed to run a car is far less now than it was in the sixties.

Only vigorous state intervention and power supplemented and controlled by democratic committees of workers can resolve the transport situation in Britain and prevent meltdown in the near future. All this must be done under the red banner of socialism, the only way to ensure fairness and security for all.

Steve Metcalfe

President Lancaster TUC

Lancaster Road

Morecambe Refreshing

thoughts

from Smith