To the editor:

Your editorial Aug. 12 about surplus cars hit the target that Detroit has ignored for 50 years.

Lawrence is a good example of this car surplus problem when you see parked cars on all streets near Kansas University and at the big-box retail stores at the city limits.

Car ads dominate both print publications and television. A recent news report in USA Today tells us how car congestion in California has stressed the human population. People are spending too much time commuting to work and shopping. This provides less time to visit with neighbors and for physical activity.

This could explain why 62 percent of the adult population is overweight. We need to find a way to provide passenger trains between Topeka and Kansas City. This would be more energy-efficient and healthier for us all.

Lester C. Marsh,

Lawrence