A diet of jam D MCTERNAN castigated me (Letters, November 12) for supporting a policy of “deliberate jams” for York’s car users.

But transport policy in York, as elsewhere, is driven significantly by the Department for Transport (DfT). For some two decades, the DfT has accepted that towns and cities can no longer build their way out of congestion. So now, each local authority must produce a Local Transport Plan (LTP) at five-year intervals.

If its contents align with DfT guidance, which promotes reductions in car dependency, then that authority will receive large grants to implement relevant measures.

York’s LTP grants have funded much of the infrastructure which encourages more walking, cycling and bus travel. Car sharing too, through a dedicated website.

Residents who have switched to these options have already helped to reduce the rate of growth in car traffic.

I hope that in the run-up to next May’s local elections, transport issues are not politicised. Any prospective councillor who promises a car-commuters’ paradise will never be able to deliver one.

Paul Hepworth, Windmill Rise, York.