In the few weeks I’ve been working at the Worcester News I’ve learned a fair amount.

But the first thing was: traffic in the city can be nightmarish. I learned that personally. On day one. And days two and three. I also found out that everyone else thinks it’s a real issue, as well.

(It doesn’t help that there’s one bridge in the city, so everyone who needs to cross the river has to do it at one point – but hey ho.)

And every day I contribute to the problem by driving to Hylton Road from Cheltenham – I’m adding to congestion on the M5 and either on the southern ring road or right in the middle of the city.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

There aren’t many days when I need the car actually for work - I can get a bus to County Hall, the Guildhall is a nice walk from the newsroom and if I need to go to a council meeting in Pershore or Malvern, well, I’ll know in advance, and that’s a couple of days a month at most.So why don’t I get the train?

It’s a nice ride through the park and along a cycle path from my house to the station in Cheltenham. And there’s a train at 7.25 am to Shrub Hill. It takes half an hour, so I’d be at work by 8.30am.

It sounds perfect. I get a bit of exercise at either end of the journey and can do some reading, or listen to podcasts on the rain.

When are the trains back? Well, there’s one at 5.06pm. Hmm, well, it’s a maybe but I’d have to leave on the dot of 4.40, and that’s cutting it fine a bit.

Maybe there’s a later one …wait, what?

The next train is at 7:07pm?Seriously?

If I can’t get away exactly on time and make it rapidly to Shrub Hill, then I’ll wait another two hours and get home at 8pm, exactly 13 hours after I left in the morning?

There’s no5.30, 6 or 6.30. For the two hours of prime commuter time, between Worcester and Cheltenham there is nothing, zip, nada?

Come on Great Western Railway these are significant urban centres, with large populations. This isn’t good enough.

But until something changes, I guess I’ll have to drive - adding pollution and congestion in both Cheltenham and Worcester.

Sorry, about that – I’ll try and let you out in front of me.