For the many drivers stuck in their cars as they commute into Oxford, the finer points of transport policy might seem unrelated to their daily experience.

But when it comes to traffic some of the slightest changes can have the biggest impacts — and big impacts are definitely what Headington is looking for.

The area is home to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford Brookes University, a large Oxford University research campus and several other hospitals. So commuters are not in short supply.

So Oxfordshire County Council’s decision to confront this problem head-on can only be welcomed. The highways authority has decided to review the many aspects of transport policy which regulate how people move around Headington in an attempt to solve its daily congestion.

But Headington residents can be excused for thinking that this is not before time. These problems have not appeared overnight — in fact the John Radcliffe Hospital has been in Headington since 1972.

Though with the expansion of the Old Road campus and the new cancer centre at the Churchill Hospital they may well soon get worse. It is only right that a holistic approach is taken with this issue when there are so many factors at play.

Given the number of factors that need to be balanced, the most important thing is that the people of Headington are given the opportunity to help shape this transport strategy.

Past experience suggests their input can be vital in producing a workable long-term plan. The county council can save itself a lot of pain later by getting as many people on board as early as possible.