MANY European cities comparable in size with Bristol have long-standing strategic transport planning policies and integrated transport systems. Bristol unfortunately has neither.

Vienna, in my experience, has the most effective integrated transport system, eminently affordable and flexible to commuters and offering a seamless flow between buses and trams in the central old city, a metro and a light railway system to the suburbs.

Because its system is of such a quality, its transport flows by road are much reduced and very manageable. There are also extensive pedestrian areas in the old city.

Other cities in this part of central Europe such as Bratislava and Budapest have well-maintained tram systems to complement the bus system. Many European cities have these choices.

English cities such as Bristol seem to be the exception in being devoid of all strategic transport planning and investment, causing a private transport driven road system to grind to a deadlock at peak hours. Somewhat unbelievably it can take as long to travel at peak hours a few miles across the centre of Bristol as it takes to travel by train to London.

In terms of what a "transport supremo" can do, sadly it is probably too late now to deliver effective integrated transport, offering genuine choices, in the city.

Even if the huge capital outlays to create infrastructure can be afforded, there is the issue of where its routing can be physically sited in a city spatially dominated by roads.

The policy options may now comprise maximising such limited alternative infrastructures as there are – for example, with light railway networks – and making public transport more competitive, affordable and reliable.

Chris Lamb, Hengrove.

I WAS somewhat surprised by your headline article today. Everyone with a little common sense knows the solution.

Reduce the use of cars instead of encouraging them. Get their untidy presence off our streets. With more and bigger cars coming onto our roads the situation can only get worse.

My idea would be to make it rapidly worse at first by removing all parking restrictions, switching off traffic lights and building the bus lanes we have been crying out for.

Put a temporary ban on bikes until proper safe facilities are put in place. In other words bring forward what will inevitably happen.

Why don't we do what they do in Belgium, where they have car-free days. Sundays when no cars are allowed through the city at all.

Only then will people begin to realise the futility of promoting a non-sustainable method of transport.

When you asked people with transport interests for their solution, I notice that as usual you did not ask the people who really have sussed out the answer, the city's cyclists.

Brian Griffiths, Henleaze.

Editor's note: In fact, we gave a platform to Adrian Roper of Sustrans, the Bristol-based sustainable transport charity which co-ordinates the 12,000-mile National Cycle Network.

IN response to your front page story "Jambuster Wanted", Bristol's traffic problems will only be improved if there is a single body with full responsibility for all aspects of transport and highway management for the whole of the greater Bristol region.

It is pointless for Bristol to act alone. Look at a "ring" road that ends at Hicks Gate. Inter-council cooperation has generally failed when significant decisions have to be made.

I am so relieved that I no longer have to make that dreadful daily return journey into central Bristol. Peak traffic flow is so saturated in this region that any problem or change can have repercussions that extend miles away.

RA Murphy, Downend.

OUR city centre is jammed up with cars because there are too many cars. Reduce the number of parking spaces and there will be fewer cars.

While I acknowledge this will not provide an answer on its own, it would help ease the pressure and is a plan that could be introduced quickly and cheaply.

The introduction of residents' parking schemes has been part of the city's transport strategy since 2005.

Yet still the schemes remain work in progress even though approved in principle by Cabinet last November. The proposed pilots for Kingsdown and Clifton Wood are currently bogged down in a bureaucratic morass.

The recently published Transport Inspection Report for 2008 by the National Audit Commission states: "Bristol suffers serious traffic congestion, and the council has not done enough to manage traffic demand through parking."

This is a castigation of the city's transport policy by an important national body. No wonder, when every other city and most smaller towns in the country already have a proper parking strategy in place.

An independent survey published in June on the parking practices of 12 cities and towns demonstrated that every one of them has residents' parking schemes. This includes Cardiff, Cheltenham, Reading and Bath.

Why do they have RPZs? Because, as that same survey reports, in the Clifton Wood proposed pilot parking zone at noon, 30 to 40 per cent of cars parked in those roads are from outside that area.

In effect, the city is offering extensive free parking to commuters close to the city centre. No wonder commuters continue to drive into our city centre and cause chaos.

When appointed, our transport "supremo" has one part of the solution immediately to hand.

Stephen Perry, Yes to RPZ.

AROUND £90k for a bus and cycle route organiser seems very generous.

However, a well paid transport engineer who understands car usage may be able to put Bristol right. The recent Joint Local Transport Plan, Progress Report shows that despite traffic levels reducing and bus patronage rising the air quality has deteriorated!

Perhaps this is due to the fact that cars are much cleaner per passenger mile than buses.

How about we ban buses and cycles from some roads and see how much better the cars flow, some traffic light removal would also help.

Bob Bull, Avon & Somerset Coordinator, Association of British Drivers.

IT is time to bring Bristol's neglected and underused local railways into play. If we are serious about staging World Cup football and international cricket matches in Bristol, then these lines need to be invested in now.

The local road network cannot cope any more, it is no good keep investing in buses, this is not going to work. The rapid transit bendy bus is not going to be our saviour.

Why is it in Bristol the decision makers keep ignoring the trains? We should be thankful we still have a good local rail network.

What is needed is a traffic supremo who can relate to our needs. Someone who has a good understanding of transport problems.

We should take a leaf out of the excellent work going on in Manchester. Their railway and tram system is light years ahead of ours.

Advertise for a traffic supremo in Manchester to take the post to sort out Bristol's woeful congestion problems.

We have an excellent local rail network that is being starved of investment. Lord Adonis, Transport Minister, and Gordon Brown know the railways are the future of transport.

If decision making people here carry on as we are and keep ignoring our local rail networks, what chance have we of staging World Cup football and top cricket matches?

Example, Ashley Hill railway station, 300 yards from Gloucestershire's cricket ground at Nevil Road. Reopen this station to help alleviate the traffic problems here.

David Wood Rail Maritime and Transport Union Bristol

I SEE that local Labour MPs Dawn Primarolo and Kerry McCarthy have criticised First Bus about excessively high bus fares.

Fair enough you think. There is no doubt that something is desperately wrong with Bristol's public transport system, and fares are certainly part of the problem.

But for Labour MPs to complain about it?

Does anyone need reminding that Labour have been the party of government for 12 years? They have had ample time to impose a just fare strategy on bus companies, which could help improve levels of sustainable transport in the Bristol area, but have chosen not to.

They could have changed the ownership of the local bus company, or done something to alter the fact that a private monopoly dominates bus services here. They have chosen not to.

So it seems to me that rather than moan about the state of the local bus service, they could be apologising to the people of Bristol for allowing it to get in to such a state.

Charlie Bolton, Bristol Green Party, Southville.

I AGREE with many of the ideas outlined in "How would you fix Bristol's transport problems" (Evening Post, August 12) and Bristol's new transport supremo, whoever it may be, should give them serious thought.

However, two policies before the council elections in June had political consensus between both Lib Dems and Labour (the Tories noticeably not supportive).

The first was a £1 bus fare for single bus journeys in the city and the second was getting rid of the First Bus monopoly.

What was one of the first things the Lib Dems did when they got a majority on the council? Put up the park and ride fares from Avonmouth.

The Labour Government has delivered with the free bus pass for over-60s and £48 million for an integrated transport system for the greater Bristol area.

Now it is the council's turn – force Tory councils outside Bristol to accept an integrated transport authority and get these two policies implemented. There can be no more excuses for not sorting this out!

Sam Townend, Labour Parliamentary candidate Bristol North West

I HAVE written to Bristol City Council before about a simple idea.

Would it not be possible to move the island at Bath Bridge a few yards and let the traffic go straight across from Clarence Road to Feeder Road instead of going all around Temple Meads (five sets of lights). The alternative is to go along Bath Road over the bridge around by the fruit market where it is always congested.

Councillors should walk around the city instead of sitting in an office and look first hand at the situation. The suggestions by Nick Gould are good especially about Old Market what a waste of money that was.

I shall be very surprised if anything is done.

E Clarke, St George.