Last month 81-year-old Jean Dennis gave up driving and sold her car.

She believes it was the right time.

"Not that I had an accident or was losing confidence," she said. "I just felt I am 81 and should pack it in now."

She hasn't missed it, especially not for journeys into Colchester town centre. She always took the bus.

"Of course, having a free bus pass enourages that," she smiled. "But I never brought the car into Colchester. There is just too much traffic without me adding to it."

This particular morning, Mrs Dennis had come into the town centre to the weekly coffee morning organised by Age Concern (Colchester).

She was not surprised when told Colchester had been placed very low down in a survey to find the most traffic-free, car-friendly town. In fact, it came 52nd out of 64*. Ipswich, by comparison, came fourth.

"Well, Ipswich has an excellent park-and-ride scheme," said Pam Hughes, 68. "That's what makes the difference, and which Colchester should have had years ago, not this silly system by the railway station (Colchester North Station) that no-one knows about.

"When I moved to Colchester in the early 1970s and remarked on the heavy traffic through Colchester, I was told by the council that, by the end of the 1980s, Colchester town centre would be free of cars. The council wanted to introduce four park-and-ride schemes, one at each of the main roads into the town.

"What happened?"

It is a question others at the coffee morning would like answering. They have understood for a long time park-and-ride is the way forward for Colchester and wonder why the council is so hesitant.

"Colchester is an old town with listed buildings, so it is difficult to move traffic away from the town centre," said Mrs Dennis. "But you would have thought something would have been done by now."

It is the noise and smell which get to Margaret Barham. Mrs Barham, 75, has lived in Colchester for 28 years.

"I like Colchester," she said. "I think it has good shops, but it isn't very nice shopping in High Street. It would be far better to keep the cars out."

Which isn't going to happen. Roger Buston, one of the eight councillors who sit on Colchester Council's cabinet, does not think the High Street will ever be car-free - with or without park-and-ride schemes.

"High Street was designed to be the artery of the town," said Mr Buston. "If traffic did not come through High Street it would cause immense problems because we don't have a ring road."

But there should have been. In the 1970s, the dual-carriageways that are Balkerne Hill and Southway were built. Southway should have continued to Barrack Street and on to Brook Street by the railway line, forming part of what should have been the Eastern Approaches road. It didn't. Essex County Council pulled the financial plug.

Then, in the late 1990s, the ring road project was revived when Tesco built a superstore at the Hythe and paid for a new road, heralded as "phase one" of the Eastern Approaches road. Unfortunately, phase two - the Brook Street link - never happened. There was no Government will, or cash.

"In the end, what would have been an excellent ring road around Colchester was never built," said Mr Buston.

So, Colchester's Head Street and High Street continue to groan under traffic while successive councils have looked for solutions. For some time, the good money has been on park-and-ride.

"Park-and-ride is a priority," insisted Mr Buston. "I think park-and-ride will help both shopping and tourism in the town. But you must remember that our job is to get best value for the council tax payer and for the town and that means ensuring park-and-ride works.

"It is not always a panacea."

Meanwhile, Essex County Council, the purse-strings holder, is looking at the "environmental impact" of a park-and-ride scheme to the south of Colchester at Eight Ash Green.

Similar to Colchester Council, the county council believes park-and-ride will bring down pollution and congestion in the town centre. A decision on the site is expected before autumn.

It won't be too soon for Rachel Fahie, chief officer with Age Concern (Colchester). It is quicker, she said, travelling across Birmingham than through Colchester town centre.

* Survey conducted by Virgin Money Car Insurance.

PARK-AND-RIDE: WILL IT HAPPEN?

Colchester Council's cabinet wants at least three park-and-ride schemes in the town.

The proposed car parks and start points for buses to the town centre would be:

  • From the north - near the Colchester Community Stadium
  • From the west and south-west - Eight Ash Green. Already causing controversy as residents are concerned about traffic increase
  • From the east - a proposed site has not been earmarked, but it could be in the Wivenhoe area.

Roger Buston, portfolio holder for street services, said the cabinet would also like to see park-and-ride serving the Mersea/Peldon area, but this is not as big a priority.