The European Commission on Monday unveiled a "single European transport area" aimed at enforcing "a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers" by 2050.

The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail.

Top of the EU's list to cut climate change emissions is a target of "zero" for the number of petrol and diesel-driven cars and lorries in the EU's future cities.

Siim Kallas, the EU transport commission, insisted that Brussels directives and new taxation of fuel would be used to force people out of their cars and onto "alternative" means of transport.

"That means no more conventionally fuelled cars in our city centres," he said. "Action will follow, legislation, real action to change behaviour."

*shrug* we have to move from fossil fuels at some point.

This doesn't mean getting rid of cars.

It matters not what the people want, don't question those who know what's best for them.

Planning transportation for 2050 is like people in 1970 planning a program to subsidize all public schools with mainframes by 2010.

What's funny, is that transportation planning is regularly done in the United States for 30 years. Any brand new highway you drive on was probably dreamed up 30 years prior.

It's a big assumption that the majority don't want this.