Tom Cruise is unlikely to apply, but there is a certain air of Mission Impossible about the Bristol transport supremo role.

The £92,000 salary may offset the pain to some extent, but it will take considerable powers of intellect, not to mention diplomacy, to achieve any kind of agreement among all the interested parties on how to keep Bristol on the move.

There are widely differing views on what the city needs.

But the problem facing the new transport boss is that, by and large, each group – car owners, public transport users and cyclists – all want more for themselves.

Drivers want to be able to use the mobility their car offers, in tandem with cheap parking, while avoiding lengthy jams.

Those who travel by public transport also want a service that runs on time, at an affordable cost.

And cyclists want more space, which means creating more lanes.

The fundamental issue is that all three groups want to get to their destinations as quickly as possible.

However the issue here is that by making journeys easier for one group, the likelihood is that another group will suffer.

The mantra of transport commentators is invariably along the lines of ... better public transport will get people out of their cars. This is great in theory but it has proved very hard to implement in practice.

So there's the context.

The question is how all these groups are brought together. There is no doubt a solution is needed.

The city cannot be far from breaking point at certain times of the day.

To sort it out is going to take imagination, a strong will and patience – and it will not be easy.

But then, that's what the £92,000 is for... over to you, transport supremo.