The role of the car in everyday life is a hot topic of the moment.

The Government has just enacted some changes to the highway code, intended to make life a little safer for everyone on the road.

The response of some car drivers in the letters pages of national newspapers show an incredible intolerance.

There were calls for cycles to be licensed, pay a tax etc. The attitude was one of the car drivers actually own the roads, rather than are just one of a number of groups that use them.

The behaviour of many drivers toward cyclists and pedestrians is dangerous.

People need to realise a car is a lethal weapon in the wrong hands; several tonnes of metal driven at speed can cause incredible harm.

The tensions between motorists and cyclists have been growing over the years.

There are a number of cyclists who break the laws, jumping red lights, cycling on pavements etc. This does not help.

Equally, some motorists cut up cyclists and generally try to make life difficult.

The answer to these problems are better cycle lanes and off-road facilities for cyclists.

Car drivers also need to have life made easier for them on the roads, with better traffic flow.

The Mayor of London has a target of getting 80 per cent of travel by foot, cycle or public transport by 2041.

Unfortunately, this target has slipped during the pandemic, with more people getting into their cars.

There is though, significant ongoing investment in the infrastructure that will encourage these active forms of travel to prosper.

We really do need to move to tackle pollution, which means fewer and cleaner cars. There has been a roll out of electric charging points. This will help encourage people to get electric cars, though they remain too expensive for many people.

Modal shift in transport of the type promoted by the Mayor and TfL can only happen if alternative means of travel to the car are made cheaper and safer. This needs proper investment from central government.

The health and welfare of Londoners should not be put at stake in a political tug of war over TfL funding due to the ravages caused to income by the pandemic.

We all need to move forward together in a modal shift that can see a cleaner, greener London emerge. There remains much to be done.