Congratulations Patrick on being published – you seem to have a bright and well balanced future if you stick to your good principles and common sense (which is very uncommon these days especially in areas of town planning, migration and immigration.)

In Sydney where I live – the emphasis is on relocating bottle necks by regulating traffic speed flow and tunnels building; hopeless and costly band-aid measures.

One has to look at the source of the problem as well. Some have already been mentioned here.

1. our love affair with the car
2. our obsession with centralising ‘jobs’ in CBDs
3. our immigration influx (well over 1000 new individuals arrive weekly in Sydney)
4. lack of incentives for population distribution outside main cities
5. disconnectedness of local councils with the overall urban infrastructure
6. our relentless relying on petrol for transport “at any cost and perils”
7. unreliable (unsafe) and costly public transport
8. our reluctance to change work habits (9 to 5 - Monday to Friday)
9. underused technological advancement (many could work from home)
10. limit/ regulate private car access to CBD by increasing park and ride options

Ludwig,

Yes. I'm not easily surprised, but this twerp really did the job. It's the first time I've been accused of racism (even on OLO) because of my concern for the environment and the effect of unsustainable immigration on it.

CountO presumes to know all about me: I "surpass" myself, apparently, and, and there is no topic on which I can't be casually racist.

Do we know this character? Has he posted before, and perhaps my inbuilt rubbish filter has screened him out? Or is he one of these lurkers who finally works up the courage to let fly at someone he has taken a particular dislike to? The idiotic remark about cricket shows that he is not the brightest candle on the table. If he sticks around, he should be good for a laugh, at least.

Count0

You have redefined the english language. How can a proposal to stop ALL immigration be considered racist? All races are treated equally, in that none of them are admitted.

The mathematical fact is that as the population of Sydney rises, the amount of land available to each person must decline. Of course the powerful lobbies, mainly in real estate and industry, push all the time for ever more people.

In 1931 the Governor-General issued a proclamation declaring immigration to be suspended until further notice, and this was enforced by vigorous use of the dictation test. The next significant group of immigrants were Jewish refugees from Germany in 1938.

Getting back to the main thread of this article, I think there are many more methods of combatting congestion than have been mentioned. Some that I like are:

1. Requiring all tolls to be paid in cash in five cent pieces.

2. Variable tolls. The amount payable, on the bridge, for example, would vary in ramdom fashion from 10 cents to $50 as you approached the toll booth.

3. Adopting the Singapore system of trading the right to drive a car on the road. A new car could only go on the road when another came off, and this right would be traded on the stock exchange. I believe the price in Singapore is around $175,000 at the moment.

4. Remember that the whole problem could be solved by government in 12 months, by simply announcing that car registrations would not be renewed when they fall due.

Pigs might fly.

Sydney has got to the point where any solution to any problem will be far more expensive than the same solution applied to a distributed population elsewhere in the state. And that includes the cost of governance itself. Sydney is long past the point where problems no longer simply accumulate by addition, they multiply in complexity and cost. And it is long past the point where the major beneficiaries of devolved population, power and governance would be the residents of Sydney itself.

Ironic isn't it, the Sydney political elite has been so absorbed in imposing their will on the rest of the state that they completely lost the plot on their own problems and needs. But that is Carr's legacy.

Sydney needs to mind its own business and give the regions the independent state, or states, they should have had at federation.

After a couple of days of sober reflection, and having read the additional comments made here, I find the whole subject even more depressing.

Mr Wall is a recent product of our school system, obviously bright and keen, with enough self-motivation to do a stint teaching in Peru. If this is put together by the cream of the crop - which he clearly is - what dross can we expect from the rest of them?

Some observations, Mr Wall, before you get too set in these ways.

It is not always necessary to be politically correct. (Although come to think of it, it probably pays better these days.)

It is not always necessary to follow where so many have gone before. Originality of ideas and expression is still valued in some places.

But most importantly, it is necessary to actually check those primary sources, in order to find out what they really say. The two pieces that you refer to in your article are both already second-hand. You might find - as I did - that the entire basis for calculating "costs" doesn't bear close scrutiny.

Simply quoting somebody else's interpretation of what the source might mean puts you firmly on the road to perdition, I'm afraid. You'll have a long, and mildly interesting career in the public service, then you'll retire, then you'll die. All without having to apply one single solitary brain cell of your own, or form one single opinion that you worked out from first principles, or having created anything of value from your own character.

So what happened here? Someone said "hey Pat, how about shovelling a couple of hundred words together - I'll make sure it gets published, so you can put it on your CV for when you apply for that job in Canberra"

"Just write something easy, not too taxing, traffic congestion is always good for a bit of self-righteous posturing..."

And you fell for it. Sad, really.

Pericles,

Good points, but at our age and in 2006 the young revolt when being treated condescendingly.

He needs to hear what you have to say, but taking yourself down a peg or two to his level will have a greater impact, and enable him to listen more openly to some of your well intended words.

You seem to have good intentions on the most part, sometimes i perhaps dont give you credit. I am looking forward to your articles, where you will make many pessimistic assumptions, just like your posts.

His life is not mapped out, and he has a great future.

Best of luck mate.