FEW people in Swindon will be surprised by the Campaign for Better Transport’s revelation that Swindon is one of the most car-dependent places in the country.

Indeed, so unsurprising is the news that it’s tempting to respond with an irritated: “Thanks for stating the completely obvious.”

However, we should restrain ourselves. The organisation - a charity - undoubtedly means well and isn’t pointing an accusing finger at the public.

Car dependency in Swindon has a number of causes.

Some are historical, notably the fact that much of its current road infrastructure dates from the era when car was king.

We should also remember that Swindon, like many towns and cities in Britain, used to have a local railway network which was shut down by Whitehall to save money.

Turning to current reasons for car dependency, the relatively few local travellers who still have use for a train must contend with disgracefully high fares and patchy reliability.

Many of our local bus services are compromised by spiralling costs, with the result that routes are threatened and public transport is rendered progressively less appealing.

The provision of cycle lanes by local authorities is rightly highlighted as desirable by groups such as the Campaign for Better Transport, but cycle lanes cost money which councils increasingly don’t have.

The only way to reduce the car dependency of Swindon or anywhere else is through a complete change of attitude at national level, coupled with a loosening of purse strings.