23 Mile Traffic Snake

It’s hard to write about the state of transportation in the UK. I live in London and, like many people in large cities across the world, suffer horrendous congestion which, perhaps, distorts my view of the daily travel.

Like many, however, there comes a point when you believe that somebody has to do something – there were 23 mile tailbacks on the M4 earlier today (for all I know, people are still stuck in an endless snake of traffic) [source – BBC News].

When are we going to accept that there are parts of this country which are too over-crowded and congested and we need to look for radical ways to ease this commuter hell for people?

February 17th sees the introduction of congestion charging in central London. There is much discussion across London media about the relative merits of the charge and, of course, calls from almost every sector of the motoring community that they should be exempt.

I am not sure if I am a believer in the congestion charge. For starters, I think it targets the wrong area. There’s much more congestion outside the zone than there is inside. However, I do applaud Ken Livingstone for trying something, anything. Yes, I wish public transport could be better first. But, at the current rate, London will be at a 24-hour standstill in a few years and that isn’t any good for any of us. I do hope this doesn’t become Ken’s Poll Tax and that people look for transport alternatives to their car (Related: BBC London’s Congestion Charging Guide)

On this day…