EXPRESS OPINION

Anyone who has the misfortune to drive in or out of Lewes at the peak times in the morning and evening will be only too aware of the town s dreadful traffic problems.

Queues and wasted time are the norm. For many of those who commute into the county town, parking can be an added challenge.

The key fact is simply this: Lewes is a major employment centre with feeder roads totally unsuited to the volume of traffic which it sucks in during working hours. The number of commuter cars vying for parking space in the town puts extra pressure on the severely limited long-term car parks, thus frequently making it difficult for shoppers, casual visitors and tourists to park with ease.

The county council s worthy and well-intentioned initiatives such as the recent Streets Ahead day of road closures gives an all too tempting vision of what parts of the town could be like without traffic. But the solutions in reaching that pleasant environment are vague and distant.

Norman Baker has grasped a key issue which could make a real and speedy difference: get the commuting motorists off the roads and on to trains.

There can be little doubt that many of those who endure a daily tailback through the tunnel, or on Malling Hill, or at Beddingham would like to trade the wasted time behind the wheel for a faster and less stressful train journey.

But, as Mr Baker has pointed out, the economics do not stack up. Awful though the drive into Lewes may be, there are few who would be prepared to pay the current stingingly high rail fares to escape the ordeal.

The Government s earnest promises of new public transport initiatives appear to have vanished towards the horizon in the wake of John Prescott s gas-guzzling Jaguars, and any moves towards radical, cheap public transport, as found in many parts of mainland Europe, have yet to be seen.

Hope remains in locally driven initiatives such as that proposed by Mr Baker. The new rail franchise holder should give serious attention to his ideas. A cheap fare structure aimed at a specific commuter market, linked perhaps to a season ticket system to ensure ongoing revenue, is a realistic proposition, albeit a daring one. It could reap rewards for all concerned.