On Friday, December 6, The Argus asked, "Who will steer us out of gridlock?"

Ultimately, "us" is the answer - the people who live in this city and those who visit it, through the transport choices we make.

Politicians should enable policies which encourage beneficial transport choices, while discouraging the most harmful.

The result would be a transport hierarchy of choice, where transport which is most beneficial to individuals, society and the environment - which we depend upon for our existence - are at the top and those which are most harmful are at the bottom.

Fortunately, those which are most beneficial are also the cheapest for the individual to use and for society to provide.

Conversely, those which are most harmful are also the most expensive. But the gap between the two will widen as carbon-based fuel costs continue to rise.

Walking and Cycling are cheap, inclusive, truly sustainable and are positive for two more reasons:

* Health: They directly address the inactivity at the core of many of our health problems;

* Practical: Cycling can be fast, as it is often the quickest way of getting from door to door in a city.

For those journeys and people for whom walking and cycling are not viable options, other choices include buses, taxis or car clubs.

Of course, there may always be a place for motorised transport but, in the future, this will not be the environmentally-destructive, oil-fuelled motor car.

Electric bikes are already common on our streets and larger, electric vehicles will emerge for those who need them.

But if we are to steer ourselves away from gridlock and defuse the "public-health time bomb" of ill health and obesity, caused, at least in part, by inactivity, walking and cycling must become the transport option of choice for more people. They are modern, civilised transport options.

Let's face it, even the leader of the Conservative Party chooses to be seen on a bike these days. Things really are changing.

-Ian Davey, Bike for Life, Hove