WHY drive?” I ask. It’s not worth the queuing. “Why cycle?” friends ask, it takes too long.

How often do we get a chance to try out how others get around? Twice I have had a good opportunity to try the “other”.

The bus. Currently I have a wrist in plaster. If I had a car, insurance wouldn’t be valid with a wrist in plaster.

The doctor said I would be “foolish” to cycle with a broken wrist, so walking and the bus it is for a few weeks. I never had to wait for my bike to arrive at a time it chose before leaving home, whereas I have to wait for the bus – not a long wait if I plan my departure against the timetable.

Journey time is about the same as cycling (bus is faster, but all those stops). The bus is quite sociable, having met quite a few neighbours on the bus. Ride quality is dreadful in Kennington, it’s not the bus, but the tarmac (not the potholes). Absolutely no problem with parking of course.

There might be a walk at the other end, to journey’s end – an easy way to get the recommended 30 minutes exercise per day.

I tried the bus, not perfect, but not bad on the whole.

The car. When my dad died some years ago, I had use of his car until it was sold. I mostly used it for running dad’s stuff about, but occasionally used it for “normal trips”. After all, why not take the “easy” option. Well, what a complete faff the “easy option” was.

To get going, opening the gates, driving out and closing the gates was far more of a faff than simply getting my bike out of the shed and riding off.

Then there was getting there. Compared to cycling through Oxford, you need a military planning exercise in how to get around Oxford in a car. Drivers may be used to it (or simply rely on their satnavs, my experience was pre-satnav), but when one is used to cycling around Oxford with a wide choice of (legal) routes everywhere, a car is, well, so difficult.

Then there were the queues, at every traffic light and beyond it seemed. All those queues that on a bike you could simply ride to the front of and wait for the green light. At my destination, well, parking a car compared to parking a bicycle.

No contest at all.

Back home, it was the reverse of getting going – far more complicated than walking up the path and putting my bike in the shed. I tried the car, found it wanting.

Oh yes, am I full of energy now I’m not cycling everywhere? Well, no, I’m more likely to feel drowsy sitting in a chair than I ever was before – probably lack of endorphins.

When my wrist is better I’ll be back to travel on demand, bypassing queues on routes I choose, all the way to places I want to go, with a near certainty of somewhere to park.

Drivers, why do you put up with such inconvenience? I can’t understand it!