I FEAR Jonathan Tyler is a rather short-sighted individual able only to concentrate on one subject at a time without understanding cause and effect ("Putting a price on driving round York", October 13).

Mr Tyler's report on traffic in York (or the lack of it if he has his way) refers to global warming and dwindling oil supplies as the 'big two' reasons for his radical plan.

I have never accepted that motorists are the major problem where global warming/pollution is concerned. Over 25 per cent of carbon emissions come from ongoing underground coal fires in China which cannot be extinguished.

Scientists now accept that emissions from aircraft cause more damage to the ozone layer than any other transport emissions and then there are industrial emissions to add in.

As far as motorists are concerned many manufacturers are making great strides towards producing electric-powered cars which will inevitably come to the mass market in the near future thus reducing emissions to nil.

Dwindling oil supplies will no longer be a major transport problem for the same reason and alternative energy supplies such as - dare I say it - nuclear power will reduce the need further. Sorry wind power supporters - recent research proves it isn't going to be enough.

Mr Tyler talks about reducing congestion by basically charging motorists off the road. I wonder if he would feel the same if his job depended on car manufacturing - not only car workers but also people working in the supply chain. We are talking about people's livelihoods here.

Come on Mr Tyler - get real. Motorists have rights too - after all we end up paying more tax than non-motorists as it is.

Tony Taylor,

Grassholme,

Woodthorpe,

York.

Updated: 09:59 Monday, October 18, 2004