Most frequent users of the district’s roads will testify that rush-hour delays yesterday were out of the ordinary.

A ‘perfect storm’ of events – including, perhaps, higher than usual road usage, freezing weather, long-term roadworks (including the closure of Ireland Bridge, at Bingley) and an accident – led to a dramatic increase in journey times as the network quickly became snarled up.

But even when there are no such excuses, traffic jams are a frequent and frustrating reality for many of the district’s drivers, especially at peak travel times.

It may be that Bradford’s hills and valleys, which historically helped the district to thrive by providing rich reserves of iron, coal and soft water for the textile industry, count against it when it comes to planning an efficient road network.

Indeed, there are a number of well-known, if not notorious, bottlenecks which could, at least in part, be blamed on geography.

But that doesn’t mean our roads couldn’t and shouldn’t be better.

If the district is to achieve its full potential it is vital our current businesses thrive and new ones spring up and a key factor in making that happen is good transport links.

Unfortunately, the current economic situation and impending squeeze on public-sector spending are likely to mean there is little or no cash for major roads projects in the near future – even though Bradford has had far less than its fair share in recent years.

But we must not wait for an upturn: we need an in-depth, root-and-branch inquiry into how traffic flows can be improved and a joined-up integrated plan of action to stop Bradford – and its regeneration – grinding to a halt.