WE’VE all noticed over the last year and even before Covid that traffic congestion is frequent all over the city.

Putting in dual carriageways may speed up traffic on some parts but that can just concentrate more at the next bottleneck.

The only sure way to reduce congestion is to reduce the number of cars on the road at any one time.

Of course, that doesn’t have to mean less people or less business. Cars take up a lot of road space per person and bikes take a lot less.

Rather than see bike infrastructure as an additional expense, it’s actually a saving on road space as every new bike is one less car on a confined road.

With enough people getting into or across town by bike instead of by car the difference will be dramatic.

To counter congestion, several thousand daily journeys would have to be possible by bike, by people who currently drive.

The majority of these journeys are under five miles so they are ideal distances for bike rides. The cycle lanes we already have, such as those in Warndon villages, are very pleasant but they don’t take you from home to work, or home to the city centre.

The scale necessary for change means safe bike paths from most residential areas to workplaces such as Blackpole and the city centre.

Bike lanes separate from footpaths and roads would also help motor traffic and walkers.

Tackling congestion is not the only reason to travel by bike, of course. At busy times it’s already quicker to cycle across town than drive. And it’s also great exercise.