| Mikeyb |
August-13th-2005 06:37 AM |
Bermuda to ban car ownership
The government of the island of Bermuda is considering banning large numbers of people from owning cars, and outlawing sales of secondhand vehicles. The tiny island, with a limited road infrastructure, is being overwhelmed by cars and suffers bad congestion. Proposals include banning single people, married couples without children and short-stay expatriates from owning cars, and destroying or shipping out all unwanted used cars. There had been a ban on secondhand car sales for many years in Bermuda previously, only rescinded eleven years ago. The government is looking at providing incentives for car-pooling, bus and ferry use, and improving bus services for schoolchildren. It has ruled out raising the legal minimum driving age from 18 to 21, or banning drivers over 65.
Around 10,000 new cars have joined Bermuda's roads in the last five years, with over 9,600 travelling into its main city, Hamilton, each morning. The Bermudan Ministry of Transport says that it "is of the opinion that, while controversial, establishing a maximum number limit on the number of motor cars is inevitable if current car ownership trends continue. Some suggest limiting car ownership to certain residents of Bermuda is one method of controlling the number of cars. Segments usually mentioned include restricting certain expatriate groups, single persons and married couples without children from owning a car& It could be argued that couples with children and individuals that require their vehicle for business purposes should receive higher priority for a car than a single person. Some also believe that other segments, such as single expatriates in Bermuda on a three-year contract, have less of a need for owning a car." (jalopnik.com/Bermuda Sun)
source: http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/ne...?news_id=12799 |
