Traffic congestion - fouling our nest

The facts are there, but politicians know that roads are popular with the driving majority. Newman won the council elections on a policy of road building, and a 2004 opinion poll of Brisbane residents revealed that 24 per cent of people thought a better road network was a priority for making Brisbane more "liveable". But it is time for our mayor to be honest with himself and with the people of Brisbane.

A real man admits his mistakes and doesn't allow pride to get in the way of the truth.

If Newman wants to be remembered as a mayor who made a positive difference, he will divert the money from the NSBT into public transport and walking and cycling tracks. It is time for the people of Brisbane to learn that roads don't stop congestion, and realise that transport is about more than just getting from A to B as quickly as possible.

We must create a transport system that preserves clean air. To do so we must walk, cycle and use public transport more, and drive less. Changing our behaviour and the form of our cities may be hard in the short term, but the past 100,000 years of evolution shows us that humans must either adapt or perish.