Ditch our cars? Fix transit first

To get people to leave their cars at home in favour of taking buses, trains and the métro would take a much more concerted effort to offer a viable alternative. Montreal might do away with 500 parking spaces on Ste-Catherine St. and restrict car traffic on Mount Royal, but spotty commuter train service from the West Island and other suburbs, too few working buses and inadequate bus service to the mountain are discouraging people to abandon their cars. It’s not enough to tell people to take public transit and then offer substandard service. Reduced fares and waiting times, coupled with dependable buses, should be the norm. Where is the incentive to abandon our cars? Brian Echenberg, Montreal