IF you are reading this on a crowded bus or train then you will need no reminding that public transport is in the midst of a renaissance right now.
Rail passenger numbers are at their highest levels since the Second World War and buses have never been more popular.
Dotted around Edinburgh are the ring of park-and-ride sites that now take some 6000 cars off the city streets every day.
Desp
ite all this, the Lothians' roads have never been busier, according to the latest Scottish Government statistics.
Admittedly, the figures were compiled before the recent leap in fuel prices but there is no getting away from the fact that Edinburgh still has a love affair with the car.
The number of car owners in the Capital has remained steady since the turn of the decade, despite the shift in focus to public transport.
According to latest Government statistics, 44 per cent of households had one car in 2005-06, compared to 43 per cent in 1999-2000.
This is against a backdrop of the city's growing population but it does illustrate that there is no real danger of people letting go of their cars.
It's a point highlighted in a survey by cycling lobby group Spokes earlier this year which found three out of four motorists on Lothian Road at rush hour were travelling alone.
Neil Greig, head of policy in Scotland for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said people needed realistic alternatives to give up the convenience of their cars.
He said: "The car is still very much the mode of transport of choice for people getting to and from work and that is likely to remain the case for some time.
"Through the park-and-ride scheme, Lothian Buses and the council have done very well to offer a viable alternative for drivers.
"And the bus lanes, no matter what your opinion on them, definitely offer advantages in terms of getting buses through rush hour on time.
"But I think we are seeing this drip feed over to public transport now, and I think it will remain that way because Lothian Buses or ScotRail simply could not cope with a huge modal shift."
He added: "We can't get away from the two hard core groups of drivers who will struggle to move on to public transport.
"The first is those who have a guaranteed free parking space in the city centre. The second is those who travel across the Lothians and into the big places of work, because they don't have a public transport alternative."
One of the big reasons people drive is because they have no viable public transport alternative.
A point best illustrated in the south of the city where a commuter trying to get from Cameron Toll to Edinburgh Park by public transport would need to go into the city centre and out again.
This makes Sestran's plans for a £54 million bus service around the south of the city very interesting.
The Bus Rapid Transit system would run from Queen Margaret University in the east of the city to the ERI and on to Edinburgh Park and Gogarburn.
New bus lanes would be created alongside some of the city's busiest roads, including the City Bypass, and stops would be built next to tram, railway and park-and-ride sites.
This would join up areas which are not currently adequately connected by public transport and the real boon would be to link it in with the park-and-ride sites.
So far the network provides over 6000 parking spaces and this will need to grow if city leaders are to persuade more people out of their cars.
Councillor Phil Wheeler, the city's transport leader, said: "It's great that across the country journeys by bus and train are increasing and I hope these figures will be encouraging to our local bus companies.
"As the city continues to grow we want to ensure travellers have a range of transport options and have invested in park-and-ride schemes, Greenways and Bustracker to encourage bus usage.
"Of course, in just a few short years we'll have trams running on Edinburgh's streets and I am confident that we will see public transport use grow further."
The city's £512m tram scheme has divided opinion in the city but there is no doubt it will impact the way we travel from 2011.
Trams will cannibalise some of the existing bus services but tram firm TIE is confident that it can attract drivers on to trams who would not have previously travelled on public transport.
However, the arrival of the trams will not magic congestion, or air pollution, away from the city centre.
It is estimated that there will be an annual reduction of around 1.5 million car and van trips by 2026 thanks to the trams, which will not make much of a dent on the existing and projected traffic numbers.
Those who continue to drive will certainly be hit by the raft of changes to give priority to the trams.
The benefits of public transport have now arguably pricked the consciousness of even the biggest car lovers but getting them to use it is another matter.
The introduction of trams in a few years' time will be the next big catalyst for those pushing the benefits of public transport.
But you will never get the big shift until all the pieces of the puzzle are in place.
And it is likely that the rising fuel prices will have more of an effect on transportation choices in coming years than the green arguments.
The full article contains 945 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
