A report commissioned by the Mayor has concluded that large stretches of London's main orbital road should be put into tunnels in a £30 billion scheme to improve the quality of life. It's needed because the traffic round there is terrible, and more importantly, it's a stretch I use. I spend so long on Hanger Lane the sat nav on my Android phone thinks that's my home address.
Sources stress the tunnelling is not designed to make way for more cars but to improve the space at ground level for pedestrians, cyclists and parks.
It's interesting that these days you can't come up with a plan to help motorists, you're only allowed to help cyclists. Cars are seen as evil. The fact that I've admitted I drive in this article means I might get a letter from the Hague asking me to pop in.
Why can't you help drivers? Because of the emmissions? Well, since when did leaving thousands of cars to crawl along at 5mph help emmissions? Get them all up to 30mph and you'll save a load of carbon.
But we don't need to worry about this as it will never happen. We don't have the ability to manage such a massive project. I've always said if they tried to build the London Underground now we wouldn't manage it even though they did in the 1800s. The repairs to the Hammersmith flyover seem to be taking longer than it took to build the thing. We wouldn't be able to do it. But we shouldn't feel bad, Egypt wouldn't be able to knock together some pyramids these days.
>Read the source story
.jpg)
