IT seems increasingly clear that one major casualty of the coronavirus pandemic will be motor vehicle traffic in Oxford city centre.
Many are distinctly worried about this: hotelier Jeremy Mogford has made it clear he thinks plans for two new 'bus gates' (bus only lanes) in the city centre will have a major detrimental effect on business, and he's not alone.
Many people object to the idea of banning cars from parts of the city simply because they find it convenient and they don't see that there is a compelling reason for such a drastic move.
Others have health reasons that they rely on car travel to get around the city centre on a regular basis.
Of course there is no doubt the the pictures painted (or digitally created) by the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel on today's front page are beautiful ones: everyone can see the attraction of Broad Street being turned into a piazza where people dine al fresco and cyclists can glide through serenely.
But that is not the city we currently live in, and to get from here to there will not be easy: our councils must ensure any plans for transformation do not steamroller locals.
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