PREMIER Alex Scott got the wheels of sustainable development in motion yesterday ? by taking a bus to work.

And he dismissed suggestions that his journey was nothing more than a cheap publicity gimmick, pointing out that, if every motorist left their car at home just once a month, traffic congestion on the island could be reduced dramatically.

The Premier arrived at a press conference to unveil the draft sustainable development plan, , after taking the 9.15 a.m. bus from Chapel Lane in Paget to the Cabinet Building.

And he confirmed that, in the coming weeks, he would be using public transport to get around the island at least once a month.

"To draw attention to the impact individual choices can make on the overall quality of life we have in Bermuda, I decided to park GP1 this morning and ride the bus to work," Mr. Scott said, adding that he had not ridden on a bus since 1967.

"What a difference a day could make. As we go through this consultation period I will be either taking the bus, riding the ferry or walking to work at various times to focus attention not just on traffic congestion but also to raise awareness of all members of the public so that we can each consider how we impact on the quality of life in Bermuda for generations to come.

"Individual choices are critical and each of us must play a role to ensure that the qualities we cherish, whether they be related to our economy, culture or environment, are sustained and passed on to our children

"With approximately 37,000 vehicles on our roads, one of the most obvious and visible sustainability issues in Bermuda is traffic congestion. Every one of us can impact the stress and congestion on our roads immediately ? we simply need to make a decision to find an alternative mode of transportation to work, even if only on one day a month.

"The topic, the issue, the campaign is sustainability and I'm inviting members of the public to join us as I did my fellow parliamentarians two weeks ago ? to take up the challenge and join us. You can make a difference, just one day in the month.

"In this way our entire community may begin to understand that we can each reduce congestion on our roads by making a better decision about how we move about."

Referring to his own trip into town, Mr. Scott said: "Isolated in itself, it changes nothing, but seen as part of what we all might do it will become a very good exercise.

"If all Bermudians say, 'Why did he get on a bus today?' and then step back and think, 'What if all Bermudians took the bus more frequently?', then you make an impact.

"The idea was that if one of us can do it, all of us can do it and that's how we get a unified national outlook.

"It could be transportation today but it could be the use of water. Bermuda uses four-and-a-half times as much water as we did in 1967. If all of us collectively now turn off that spigot, don't let it drip, flush a little less, all of these conservation matters begin to spread out somewhat because of what one individual can do and that's what my bus ride was about."

But yesterday Acting Opposition Leader Michael Dunkley accused the Premier of hypocrisy, pointing out that Government had increased the size of its own limousines.

"I can understand the approach that the Premier is trying to take ? sustainable development is one of those buzzwords that has been around for ten or 15 years and now Government is trying to grasp onto that," Mr. Dunkley said.

"Government is jumping on the bandwagon and wants to capture some of that positive feedback that sustainable development seems to bring ? they want to make people believe that they're actually doing something about it.

"In short, it's the right thing to do but at some point the rubber is going to have to hit the road and we have to ask if Government is paying lip-service.

"By taking the bus the Premier might get the headlines for a day or two but for the last eight years this Government hasn't been about sustainable development or rubbing shoulders with the man on the street, it's been about the trappings of power."