LONG-awaited, much-delayed and heavily-trailered, the government's White Paper on transport hit the streets today - apparently, with John Prescott cautiously pressing on the throttle.

For, despite him having a boot full of congestion-cutting, anti-car measures - including a "commuter tax" on workplace car parks and plans to reduce the traditional "school run" - the transport supremo was stressing that the emphasis of his bid to get motorists to leave their cars at home would be on consensus rather than coercion.

But though the congestion and pollution problem has to be confronted, it seems that car-driving Middle England is already a back seat driver of the policy if the plan has been tempered by concern for its political reaction.

But, in many ways, that is right. For motorists are a highly-taxed milch cow who get a raw deal for the billions they plough into the economy.

If the plan is to make public transport a much more available and attractive alternative to the car, Mr Prescott will have to ensure that the extra charges and taxes they face to keep cars out of town are all spent for the benefit of better transport.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.