Most people look on Volk's Railway along the seafront in Brighton as a little bit of gentle tourist fun.

But inventor Magnus Volk intended the little line to be a pioneering system of travel when he launched it more than 100 years ago. He also started the even more outlandish Daddy Long Legs railway which ran in the sea.

No one is suggesting the much-loved Volk's Railway should be scrapped, but there's no reason why modern methods of transport for the 21st Century should not be tried out on the seafront today.

Brighton and Hove Council applied for Millennium Lottery money to build a link between Brighton Marina and Shoreham Harbour.

It was rejected because it was out of the commission's boundaries. But it still wasn't a bad idea and it's being pursued by business leaders today, including David Courtney of the marina.

There are big obstacles to a monorail. The first is finance. The second is its appearance in a Regency resort. The third is whether it would block access to the beach.

But against that, a monorail would be a swift, efficient and effective system of carrying thousands of people each day through a thriving city.

The coast road carries 30,000 vehicles daily and is often gridlocked. Other east-west routes through the town are awkward and slow whether by bus or car.