What Can Be Done About UK Traffic Congestion?

[Sandman]

Nationalise the railways, and upgrade them with tax payers money. There's no point in nationalising if the money is not there, so this has to be put before the public as an election issue.

It's a simple choice: crap trains and a lower tax bill, or excellent trains and a higher tax bill.

Even more tax incentives for electric and LPG cars; this will at least alleviate the problem of exhaust fumes.

[RGBVideo]

Was it Margaret Thatcher who screwed up your train network?

More expensive petrol?(..)
Massive investment in the rail network at considerable cost to the taxpayer?

[Az]

Public Transport
Public Transport
Public Transport.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Originally posted by Boddington's
I like the obscure idea of narrower cars.

1 seat the front, 1 at the back. Makes roads twice their current capacity as we all know 90% of car journeys are made with just one driver and 90% of the rest with driver and passenger.

Any engineers or mechanics around to explain if this would be feasible?

It's feasible. You have, after all, just described a motorbike.

[Myrddin]

Was it Margaret Thatcher who screwed up your train network?

No, she was the one that thought it was too dangerous to change

John Major just about managed to privatise it, but New Labour have proved they have no idea what to to about it

Privatisation has been a sucess in terms of usage but an adverse media has wrecked it. A rail derailment with 1 person killed results in 10 pages of coverage in the next days newspapers and demands for billions to be spent 'to make our railways safer'. A coach accident on the motorway killing 5, gets 1 small paragraph on page 5.

An analysis of the spending planned to upgrade safety systems on railways shows that it will result in MORE people dying as rail disruption during the upgrades will result in more road traffic

Unfortunately, life is not logical

[Solly]

Yes but it would need to be covered and warm, as we know that is the main reason cars are so successful.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Messerchmidt Bubble Car.

[Provost Harrison]

Yeah, I don't quite like the idea of being that close to the road in a motorcycle, the very concept scares me. I feel safer in a car, a motorbike would scare the wits out of me...

[SlowwHand]

Get a horse.

[Provost Harrison]

There are those Smart cars too, but they are f**king expensive...

[Solly]

A narrow car should be a lot cheaper and subsidised..

[aaglo]

public transportation is the only answer.

well, actually there is also the bicycle...

[Solly]

Useless in England tho.

[CerberusIV]

The trouble is that in parts of the UK motorists have a rather selfish attitude. When asked what they think about public transport they say it is a great idea and that people should leave their cars at home and use buses and trains. However, what they mean is the person in the car in front of them should leave his/her car at home and get on a bus.

We pay so much to have a car in the first place that people aren't really prepared not to use it.

Incidentally, I don't own a car. I ride a motorbike and it is perfectly safe, much cheaper and a lot more fun. You can even find somewhere to park in city centres.

[Solly]

"We pay so much to have a car in the first place that people aren't really prepared not to use it."

Exactly. Spreading the fixed cost of a car over the marginal cost of petrol for journeys would work but be very difficult to implement.