The Seattle Times recently published an article entitled “Cars losing grip on Seattle” [“New bridge ordered as traffic drops sharply”, September 26–October 3].

“In the war on cars, bikes and pedestrians are winning as Seattle has become one of only five major cities in the nation where more than 50 percent of the commuters don’t drive solo to work,” the article stated.

Is it a sheer coincidence that these five cities have a rapid-transit system—even if it is a very basic one as in Seattle, with a single line so far?

Compare Seattle and Vancouver to Lyon, France, with its four subway lines, four LRT lines, and two funiculars. The population of the Lyon metropolitan area is approximately 2.2 million.

> Jean-Louis Brussac / Coquitlam