IT’S not often that local authorities find themselves within an extra £12million to spend.

Yet that’s the amount of grant that councils have to ease congestion in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.

But there is a risk here of raising public expectations too high.

The government expects the grant to be spent on promoting alternatives to the car, so anyone who wants new roads will be disappointed.

And on the conurbation’s clogged major routes, any measure to improve life for one group of users is likely to make it harder for another group.

What’s more, bus companies now tend to concentrate heavily on their most lucrative routes, leaving some areas with little or no service.

But perhaps the biggest challenge is this. Most people agree there should be fewer cars on the road.

The trouble is that most of us think other people’s cars are the ones causing the problem.