Highway Minister Joe Borowski suggested last week that the Metro transit system be made so attractive that motorists would leave their cars at home. He recommended free bus rides for all, rather than spend great sums of money on roads for cars.

Mr. Boroski would rather have the province subsidize the transit system in this way than contribute to the "inner beltway," a long-planned additonal freeway program.

The day before Mr. Boroski made this proposal, Bernie Wolfe, vice-chairman of Metro, had recommended that priority be given to a subway system over the planned freeway construction.

Neither of these ideas are new but both have merit, if only that they provoke fresh considerations. If transportation problems are to be solved, they must be tackled with ingenuity and vigor. The present solution of expanding thoroughfares to meet the demands of the car are self-defeating.

Downtown areas in large urban centres have been strangled by car traffic. Winnipeg has not reached that stage but it will unless some inspired measures are taken in terms of mass transit and pedestrian convenience.

Metro has exciting plans to institute pedestrian-covered walks in the downtown area. But along with this must come an improved transit sysem to keep the cars from dominating downtown.

In the past 10 years ending in 1969, the number of cars in Metro has increased from 107,290 to 161,567. This represents an increase of 50 per cent. Compared to people, cars have increased more than three times the percentage rate in that time.

Within that period, great sums of money have been spent in Metro to accommodate the needs of the car. Including provincial contributions, Metro has spent $53,684,072 for capital expenditures on streets from 1962 to 1969. This was made up of new construction, land acquisition, street widenings, resurfacing, curb lane renewals, street lighting, intersections, boulevards, bridges and underpasses.

In the same period the city of Winnipeg has spent $7,495,744 in capital expenditures for streets.

Total capital and current expenditures in Metro and Winnipeg in those eight years was $104,517,454. Additional millions of dollars were spent on streets by other municipalities.

Despite these huge expenditures on the street system, traffic hasn't really improved, because of the increase in cars. Some 15 years ago, the peak evening period in downtown traffic didn't start until about 5 p.m. Now it starts at about 4.30 and continutes to about 6 p.m. Under poor driving conditions, it will extend to 7 p.m.

The other day I drove east on Ellice and then south on Maryland towards Portage. It was shortly after 5 p.m. and following a snowfall. I could have walked the distance in shorter time. It took about 25 minutes to drive a mile and a half.

The weather was abnormal, but then Winnipeg compared to most cities on the continent, has unusual conditions in winter. More than other centres, it requires a transportation system protected and secluded from the elements.

The price of a subway or a greatly improved transit system may be too high for Metro's finances. It can be achieved, however, if the senior governments recognize that large urban centres need assistance in solving their transit problems.

It would be a recognition too, that a city should be designed for people, and not shaped as it is predominantly now, to the needs of the car.