The UK road network has done little but expand for 110 years. Ever heard of a road being removed? Me neither. Yet, pre-CV19, traffic speeds and congestion rates have never been higher. Pollutions levels illegal in many areas, eg. Farnham, Surrey near me, forcing local MP Jeremy Hunt to tell the Borough Council to get a plan in place to fix it.

CV19 has provided a respite to typical road congestion as shared workplaces have been forced to shut. The UK Governments big concern is that, whilst social distancing is still required, EVERYONE drives everywhere in their car. Leading to really serious gridlock and slowing economic recovery.

Cars have a unique quality in transporting occupants to very specific places, of the driver's choice. This quality is most useful over long distances, especially whilst public transport prices remain so high (and not condusive to social distancing).

However....60% of car journeys are under 5 miles. 40% under 2. That's unsustainable, COVID-19 or otherwise. Making it easier, and safer for people to cycle and walk in shared, spaces separate from roads for short journeys is a really positive thing to do right now, and Id argue, permanently. The front page of The Times today is Johnson's 'war on obesity'. He's got the moral high ground because he says his weight excess led to his close call with COVID-19. He wants active travel to be enabled, and it looks like he's ready to pay for it. Good move I say.

Edited by Sulphur Man on 15/05/2020 at 13:03

At low levels of full capacity (say up to 20%) perceptions are that traffic levels are much reduced and congestion non-existent.

Between 20% and 80% of traffic volumes there will be a perception of heavier traffic as volumes increase, but little actual delay (accidents aside)

Above 80%, speed falls and real congestion starts. This is usually at school run and rush hour periods - road development has a typically lagged the need for upgrade so excess capacity at peak periods is rare.

In the future, despite immediate incentives for car use (social distancing etc) I would question whether "normal" traffic levels will return:

• work from home likely to be an increasing feature of work in the future. Possibly not 5 days a week, but certainly 2-4
• online shopping will become habitual now many have tried it
• some schooling, particularly for older (13+?), possibly by video and at home
• towns and cities may introduce more emissions free zones having experienced the benefits of reduced traffic levels.

Many two car families may go down to one. Commuting is a waste of 1-3 hours a day. Working more locally and walking or cycling will become more attractive.

John, it's all very well comparing London unfavourably with other continental cities, but you have to allow for the major disadvantage of London's narrow streets. By comparison Paris (for example) has inherited a network of boulevards which can take several times as much traffic. Many other cities are similar. If Londoners are prepared to have much of the heritage parts bulldozed to help traffic the problem might lessen.

And the Tube was designed in the late Victorian era, with plenty of room for expansion. Over a century later all that room has been used up. No way out IMHO.

It is not the new era of the car we should concern ourselves with, but the new era of personal transportation.

Trains, buses, trams and cars can all trace their roots back more than 100 years - their function has changed relatively little in that time. Technologically they have evolved through small steps rather than major transformatation.

An Edwardian gent from (say) 1910 would immediately identify the components of the system. He may be slightly surprised at the speed (outside cities) and the popularity of cars vs (say) trams, but would understand precisely how it worked.

Given current technologies the future could hold:

• driverless EV modules summoned by smartphone app
• integrated road, rail, bus - not three separate systems
• single charging protocols - not separate apps or cash
• priority for EV, bikes, scooters etc
• delivery to shops and businesses at night - very limited ICE daytime in cities