The Automobile Comes Second?

Downstairs, I noted that the Blogger Formerly Known As Aussie Sarah made a long haul from London to the Lake District via automobile to visit the Beatrix Potter Museum. This morning's Times of London has a couple of interesting stories about motorists this morning.

First of all, contaminated petrol has caused thousands of car breakdowns nationwide, for which the average cost of repair will be 300 pounds. And then motorists are finding out this morning that transportation ministers are planning to create a nationwide road pricing scheme for motorists, for which the lowest toll will be 2 pence per mile and the highest 1 pound 34 pence.

It seems to make sense in these times of climate change to encourage people to get out of their cars (especially, as the contaminated fuel story tells us, engines are capable of "kangaroo hopping," whatever that is) and onto mass transit or making use of human transportation, especially since the rail system still seems to be reasonably intact in this country. Let's just hope they use the money to make the rail system better in the process.

UPDATED at 12:55 p.m.: Annie Mole informs us that there will be no Tube strike.