I wonder if there is any way to get people out of their cars. The argument people use against using public transport is that it needs improvements of some sort (e.g. punctuality, frequency, options). When the people of Manchester are told that £3bn would be pumped into doing just that BEFORE congestion charging would begin to pay for it they voted no!
Most arguments against using public transport (or dare I suggest it walking and cycling) are just excuses. Yes, there are problems with it and yes there are circumstances where it isn’t available or it really is inconvenient. However, there are many people who do have a bus just down the road or are just nipping round the corner and instead of catching the bus or walking 15mins immediately jump in their car. Also people easily forget the huge problems excessive car use causes, to mention a few; congestion, pollution, unreliability, huge level of road deaths, noise, stress, etc.
There are a lot of motorists who just will not use a viable public transport options unless they are forced to and a system of charging for silly journeys where there was a perfectly viable public transport option is the only response to that. This will either result in them using public transport or provide more funds to further improve it.
