All the posturing over car-free days and free evening parking on the streets of Oxford by county council leader Keith Mitchell and his critics has thrown more heat than light on the debate about traffic and congestion in the city.

Of far more significance this week is the county council's decision to significantly increase on-street parking charges during the morning rush hour.

In spite of a change of political colour, the county council is unable to change its spots on transport policy. It really has no option other than to deter the car if it is to keep things moving on the city's streets.

We applaud the decision to go for differentiated parking charges dependent on the time of day. It should encourage those who do not need to come into the city at peak times to delay their journey for an hour until the streets are quieter. Those who have to come into work at that time should not have to contend with unnecessary traffic.

Previously, we have criticised the county council for rejecting out of hand any thoughts of congestion charging and for not accepting the opportunity to take part in Government pilots.

We are glad that County Hall has seen the error of its ways. The decision to introduce a peak-time parking charge is a clear, unambiguous congestion charge.

At the same time, it appears that county council officers are to begin looking in earnest for new park-and-ride car parks. These are likely to be sited outside Oxford and, for example, on the outskirts of market towns like Bicester, Abingdon and Witney.

Motorists will take more persuading to use these facilities than they do to use the ones closer to the city centre. The county council may come reluctantly down this route, but it is easy to see how further congestion charging could dovetail with expansion of park-and-ride. It might even help pay for some improvements to Oxfordshire's transport infrastructure.

While many in the county council cabinet are wedded to their cars in word and in deed, they cannot overlook the fact that the county needs to find other ways of getting people in and out of Oxford quickly.

Expansion of park-and-ride to the edge of market towns has long been a policy of the county council. It is good to see that this is now being taken up with a purpose.

We all want to see the developments in Oxford's West End, in particular the revitalisation of the Westgate shopping area.

Crucial to all of these is quick and easy access to the city centre. If all goes well, the new shopping centre is only a few years away. On its own, it could generate large volumes of extra traffic.

The plans will not allow for any more parking than already exists at the Westgate. They presuppose that new shoppers will get in by other means.

Extension of park-and-ride into potentially green areas around places such as Abingdon, Witney and Bicester could be controversial. It is also essential to the future vitality of Oxford.