Count the lines: A tram map of downtown Zurich

Wherever possible in Zurich, public transport gets priority, says Hans Kaspar Schiesser, of the Swiss transport pressure group Verkehrsclub Der Schweiz.

Trams have an automatic right of way while buses run in dedicated lanes and have dedicated traffic signals that give them priority at junctions.

"The system is fully integrated so buses meet trams, trams meet trains. This is very important because people want to get from A to B quickly, without waiting," says Mr Schiesser.

Price is also a key factor. For �50 a year, anyone can buy a half-price national rail card while in Zurich, as in most big towns, there is a common ticketing system for all types of local public transport.

Further efforts to cut car dependence include a new city-wide cycle route network, a 20mph speed limit on residential streets and a scheme to rent cars cheaply to non-car owners for out of town trips.

In Britain it's a very different story. Last year's Hatfield crash had a devastating effect on the already sagging rail network and droves of commuters, faced with dire delays, deserted rail for road. Recent fare increases mean Britain's railways are among the most expensive in the world.

Another derailment, this time at Virginia Water, Surrey

Bus use has been in decline for 50 years, although recently it has begun to grow at around 1%, and the UK has some of the highest car mileage per head, per year, in Europe, even though car ownership is lower than countries such as Switzerland.

The government has forecast in 20 years' time motor traffic levels on Britain's already congested roads will have increased by between 36% and 57%. However, it has announced money for 25 new tram lines in regional centres around England.

Meanwhile, a pilot scheme in Edinburgh similar to Zurich's, which rented cars cheaply to non-car owners for non-local trips, collapsed this year because of lack of interest.

It depends on which side of the fence you sit. Motoring organisations and hauliers back government plans to spend �60bn on building new roads and widening old ones to help free-up traffic.

Critics say new roads will only bring more traffic and leave highways as congested as before. The pressure group Transport 2000 wants Labour to put more emphasis on integrated rail and bus services.

The government wants to keep both sides happy and believes it can, by combining its road plans with promoting integrated transport solutions. To achieve this in his second term, Transport 2000 believes Mr Blair must take the following steps: