| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | |
| Posted by: | Francis Rowe | |
| Date/Time: | 24/01/20 08:44:00 |
| I really couldn't say what traffic was like on Gunnersbury Lane 20 years ago but it does regularly get congested now so I'm slightly confused why you think it is relevant. The tailbacks at the junction with Bollo Lane seem to be getting longer and longer. There is already a problem and it is set to get worse. I accept that the sixties planners' view that if there are going to be more cars you should build more roads has left us with a fairly poisoned legacy although it would be wrong to go to the opposite extreme and be completely dogmatic. There are clearly special circumstances here and although you are right to say the best way to reduce congestion is to reduce the number of people driving, this isn't feasible when there are considerably more people. Let's not forget that the road in question is already open and it already generates a significant amount of traffic for the area by allowing people who work at the business park to drive to work. There won't be a material number of extra journeys generated by opening it up to general traffic - it would just be rerouting existing journeys away from residential areas which have a severe and increasing traffic problem. Road pricing is indeed the ultimate solution to this but it can be a quite blunt tool. Where congestion charging has been introduced it has been a boon to the wealthy who now enjoy much clearer roads and has driven many people who need a vehicle to support their income out of business. Road rationing may be a better approach in which you are allocated a certain number of journeys per annum depending on your need. |