AS AN act of inept timing, it takes some beating. To announce a rise in fares in the middle of a bus strike smacks of clumsy management.

Yet that is just what First has done. Fares on Park & Ride buses will rise at the end of this month.

This is doubly ironic as Park & Ride was the only service to keep going during the bus strike. That act of management defiance did at least provide a fresh advertisement for the benefits of Park & Ride - that all-important keystone in City of York Council's transport policy.

So why, just when even more people have been experiencing the benefits of Park & Ride, put up the fares now? What First and the council needs to do is get as many people as possible off the roads and on to the buses.

Increasing the fares is only likely to discourage new passengers - especially as the bus strike will have seen commuters returning to their cars. Aside from taxis, which can be too expensive for some people, buses offer the only public transport in and around York. So they are vital to any transport plan for the city.

Traffic problems increasingly affect this and other cities. York has particular difficulties, being one of the world's tourist destinations. It is also a crowded city whose historic streets are not always friendly to buses.

Not all the news about Park & Ride fares is bad, though. First has agreed with the council that monthly smartcard fares will drop and it has announced the introduction of an annual ticket.

Imaginative answers are needed to today's transport problems, most of which are caused by the ever-increasing number of cars on the road. Solutions are not easy, and bold ideas are required.

This is why we should greet with interest the news we report today that schools could be allowed to stagger their lesson times to ease the traffic chaos caused by the school run.

This is certainly a striking suggestion, and one which warrants further discussion.

Updated: 10:10 Thursday, September 04, 2003