COULD you live without your car? Sacrificing four wheels for two and hopping on a bike or - gasp - actually stepping out on foot is enough to make some hardened motorists recoil in horror.

However, according to a new report, more city centre travellers than ever are opting to leave the car in the garage in favour of the humble bicycle. That is good news for the environment - bikes give off no carbon emissions, reduce traffic congestion and take up little parking or road space. It's good news too for the riders - cyclists live, on average, nine years longer than the rest of us.

In the last five years, the number of people travelling into and out of Southampton city centre by bike has increased by 33 per cent.

It has helped the level of air pollution in the city to decline to an all time low.

The figures revealed in Southampton City Council's Health Check - a kind of medical for the city - make encouraging reading.

According to the report, the average nitrogen dioxide concentration in the city has dropped to its lowest ever level and is consistently exceeding government air quality targets.

"Car engines are more fuel efficient now and better road infrastructure means traffic is moving more freely through the city," said city centre manager Ian Rothwell.

"You're not getting cars sitting in traffic with their engines running which helps reduce pollution.

"Unlike a lot of other cities we are not seeing an increase of traffic into the city centre. More people are living in the city and opting to walk or cycle into work.

"A combination of these things is helping to improve air quality in the city and make it a more pleasant place for everyone."

While the transport of choice in Southampton remains the private car, council figures suggest a small but significant shift towards more environmentally friendly methods of transport such as cycling and walking.

Mr Rothwell believes the findings reflect a general shift in attitudes toward green issues.

"There is a general recognition in the public that we can't just keep on using our cars more and more, especially for short journeys," he said.

"A lot more people are deciding to walk across town for a meal in Oxford Street rather than taking a car for what amounts to a 10 minute journey. There's definitely a shift in society's consciousness."

He admits, there is still a long way to go.

"People love their cars. It is a big educational process to get them to swap it for public transport or a bike. People want to be able to drive door to door and we have to get away from that mindset."

Initiatives to encourage cycling in the city have included a Bike-to-Work -Day, awareness-raising in schools and colleges as well as more cycle parking and stands for bikes throughout the city.

In 2005/2006 the network of cycle routes and shared-use routes in Southampton City Centre increased by 3km.

"One of the most important things to aid cyclists in the city has been the infrastructure put in place for them - the cycle lanes, the advanced stop lines at traffic lights and more cycle stands," said Mr Rothwell.

"The worst thing is cycling somewhere and then finding there is nowhere to lock your bike. We've even encouraged more places of work to install bike stands and many have added showers so cyclists can freshen up before work."

However, not everyone is convinced by the city's green credentials.

Lindsi Bluemel, chairman of the Southampton Cycling Campaign, questioned the health check's findings and said a lot more work was needed before the city was cyclist-friendly.

"I am interested to hear that nitrogen dioxide is at its lowest level because there are still areas where air quality is poor," she said. "If traffic volume has not decreased in Southampton I don't see how we can have reduced emissions. If these are average figures they may be masking the extremes making them unreliable.

"I'm not surprised there has been an increase in the number of cyclists in Southampton but I would be surprised if it had increased by as much as 33 per cent.

"I am really pleased if that is the case but it may be time to conduct another of our own surveys to verify the council's figures. We have seen many improvements in the city and the council has made great efforts but there are still problems. A cyclist still can't go from A to B on a safe route - the cycle routes stop and start. There is no way to go safely from the city centre to the station and there are routes - like on Hill Lane - where the cycle lane suddenly stops to make way for parking bays. The cyclist has no option but to swerve out into the road and this can sometimes be more dangerous than having no cycle lane at all.

"Another priority has to be facilities for cyclists, such as cycle lanes and bike stands, on new developments. The Jury's Inn development is a classic example. It is horrendous for cyclists and pedestrians."

If Southampton's health check is anything to go by the city is, at least, pedalling in the right direction for a greener future.