PLANS to drive cars out of towns and city centres have been dismissed as 'useless' by motoring organisations. A private member's bill - The Road Traffic Reduction Bill - sponsored by Liberal Democrat MP for Bath Don Foster - was given its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday.

Drafted by Friends of the Earth, the bill originally called for national targets to reduce car use but, in return for government support, that measure has been dropped and replaced with targets set by local authorities.

Effectively local authorities will be asked to come up with traffic reducing ideas, including moves to promote car sharing, cycling and walking, and to co-operate with local businesses over steps they could take to cut traffic. In return councils will receive government cash to help implement the measures with the aim of cutting road traffic by five percent of 1990 levels by 2005 and by 10% by 2010.

Motoring organisations say the measures suggested in the bill will be useless without new levels of transport funding to provide realistic alternatives to driving to work.