Light headed

I hope a senior politician has read John Roughan’s column on light rail (Weekend Herald, July 10), a light switches on in their head and they become enlightened. Hopefully they will have the backbone to say to their colleagues, “he’s right you know, buses are a better bet”.

New, clean-running buses, lots of them, and all fares one dollar, would revolutionise transport in Auckland. Cheaper than the billions to build one light rail route, up and running in a couple of years, and offering serious competition to private cars.

But I’m dreaming. The light switch will remain in the off position. Politics will get in the way of common sense, and an ill-thought-out policy will be clung on to in the name of strong leadership.

Tony Waring, Grey Lynn.