Sir – Traffic jams in Headington, traffic jams on the A34, traffic jams on the A40. Will they never end?

Well, we know that making more space for cars is a mug’s game: that was pretty definitively established under the last Conservative Government. I know it’s a bit counter-intuitive but I’m afraid it’s true: building more roads generates traffic, so you don’t get nearly as much congestion-relief as you might expect.

That’s why the smart money is on improving public transport (and walking and cycling) and restricting car parking when there’s a reasonable alternative.

So the good news is that Thornhill park-and-ride is being expanded, with new buses to the John Radcliffe Hospital. That will allow parking to be restricted for people who can drive to Thornhill, in the same way as it is already restricted for people who can drive to Water Eaton.

It should also be restricted for people who can drive to Seacourt and Redbridge, to be completely fair. That should ease the jams in Headington.

More good news: Chiltern Railways should shortly be starting work on the Bicester line. When there’s a half-hourly fast service from Bicester to Oxford, that should ease the jams on the A34. The county council should try to achieve something similar for Abingdon/Radley, by getting First Great Western to stop regularly and improving the narrow and dark country lane to make it easy to cycle (or walk) to the station.

As for the A40, I’m afraid you’re probably stuck in a jam unless we do something radical. Somehow we have to make public transport a better option than driving. Closing Eynsham Road to all except buses would probably do it but maybe that’s just too radical.

Richard Mann, Oxford