I WAS amused by the furore over the traffic census which held up the traffic in High Wycombe this week. It's ironic that when our councils actually try to do something to help, they generally end up shooting themselves in the foot with the public.

The idea of a traffic survey is laudable on the surface, because we all want to stop gridlock and save our planet from global warming.

And, indeed, I graciously accepted one of the surveys when I was stopped at some traffic lights on the London Road. Anything to help my fellow man, is my attitude..

But then I read it and had to reach for my blood pressure medication.

Questions ranged from "What type of vehicle are you driving?" to the number of occupants in the vehicle to where are you going and why. It even had the impudence to ask where you'd just come from and why you were there.

Now I am sure some statistician will come up with some neat theories based on the answers. But it's hardly rocket science, is it? It's hardly a reason to stop the traffic and cause general chaos.

They could have saved the cost and trouble of a survey and just asked me instead.

People drive around here mainly to go shopping, school and to work. They would like to car share but it's too much aggro and most will pay any levy to avoid having to share their vehicle with sweaty strangers every morning.

They drive because the public transport system is so hit and miss. There is no other choice, and no survey is going to remedy that.

It would have been a lot more sensible to save the money and pump it instead into subsidies for increased bus and train services.