SCALING A SUMMIT

IN a perfect world, councillors and MPs who are due to meet in a month to thrash out traffic congestion issues would all agree to work together to free up the roads and also find a way to get commuters on to public transport.

But based on grim experience, the political situation in the real world will result in something else altogether.

We hope we’re wrong, but unless the spark of statesmanship is alive among our elected representatives, the M1 summit will run the risk of degenerating into farce as federal and state pollies snipe at each other yet again – well, in this instance it will be federal and state conservative MPs ganging up on the only state Labor MP in the city – as they play the blame game.

How refreshing it would be if there was a united push to widen the M1 to the border, get cracking on an alternative motorway to the north, and set in train a committed plan to develop fast and efficient bus services to link with light rail and trains.

Only then will commuters see a viable alternative to taking their cars to work.