One of the craziest things in our lives is that most of us start work at the same time and go home at the same time.

The result is inevitable - clogged roads in the morning and evening rush hours, and no-one getting very far very fast.

How much better if we could stagger the times of starting and finishing work, and do a better job of organising car sharing.

Some movement in that direction may happen soon in the Botley area of Oxford, one of the worst affected.

Business representatives will meet tomorrow to consider whether such a plan is feasible.

It would make a huge difference to the amount of traffic, and help to make everyone's life more bearable.

It is clear that we cannot go on forever, following the same pattern of travel day after day.

With traffic increasing every year, there will soon be total gridlock.

Oxford's traffic is already on a knife-edge - it takes just one incident in a strategic position to bring absolute chaos.

The Government's announcement last week to encourage more flexible working hours will certainly help.

Increasingly, with modern technology, workers are finding they no longer need to go to the office every day, but can work from home.

We must, of course, continue to urge commuters to use public transport where possible.

And there is much to be gained by encouraging parents to abandon the School Run by car.

There is no reason why many children shouldn't walk or cycle to and from school - and we hope many more will do so during National Walk to School Week, which starts today.

But we have to accept that however attractive the alternatives, the car will remain the most convenient form of transport for many people.

Hence the need to consider how and when we travel.