PETER Evely is saying what every rush-hour motorist knows: York's roads are near capacity.

Like many of the city's problems, the jams are a by-product of economic prosperity. If it gets much worse, however, that success could be stifled. For tourists and inward investors, gridlock would literally make York a no-go area.

Today Mr Evely urged private motorists to help keep the city moving.

"It's about taking responsibility for your own actions," the City of York Council highways chief said, stopping short of the wartime slogan, "Is your journey really necessary?"

Certainly if more parents were persuaded to abandon the car, the school run nightmare would quickly ease.

But for that to happen, the council must do more. Where is the roll-out of "walking buses"?

This imaginative idea solves parents' twin worries. Children are walked from their street to the school gate under adult supervision, keeping them safe from strangers and traffic. And it is healthier too.

Imagine the difference it would make if every child had access to such a scheme

The council is now consulting on its next Local Transport Plan. Businesses and residents must take this opportunity to have their say.

Because many of the problems are caused by traffic from outside York, a larger vision is also needed, involving highway authorities from North, East and West Yorkshire. They should also join together to lobby central Government to change planning laws which take too little account of traffic implications.

But Mr Evely's main hope that York motorists will voluntarily reduce their car use is surely a forlorn one. The officer's own words help to pinpoint a key reason: "We don't have enough viable public transport alternatives."

Updated: 11:11 Tuesday, April 27, 2004