Simon Jenkins argues that, since the Department for Transport predicts traffic growth, we should increase road capacity and efficiency (Stop obsessing about planes and trains. Use roads better, 20 October). But the DfT has long over-predicted traffic expansion, and these inaccurate predictions have been used to justify massive investment in road-building schemes over the past few decades, which in turn have attracted more and more cars on to the roads. This is called “predict and provide”.

Britain is now in a position where most urban journeys made by car are less than five miles. These journeys could easily be made on bicycle or by foot. But people are too afraid.

Where traffic is made to move more efficiently (which is what Jenkins wants to see) it moves faster. Jenkins praises the rest of Europe for its roundabouts and says we should build more in the UK. He fails to understand that continental roundabouts are very different from Britain’s, which are among the most dangerous in the world.

Here multi-lane roundabouts, wide, splayed junctions and an absence of pedestrian/cycle crossing points – features beloved of the highways engineer because they increase speed and efficiency – are lethal for anyone trying to walk or cycle.

The biggest deterrent to cycling in the UK is fear of traffic, especially among women and children who are under-represented in the cycling population, yet want to cycle more than the average.

Yes, we need to use the roads better; but the answer is not to provide more motor vehicle capacity. The government needs to invest in cycle and pedestrian traffic capacity (safe, segregated routes) so people don’t have to drive for all their local journeys. It’s more efficient in terms of space, good for health, communities and the planet.

Lucy Taussig

Bournemouth

• Simon Jenkins may be on to something here. But why stop at making sure that as many cars as possible are as full as possible? We could build bigger cars, fill them with people, thereby making more efficient use of our scarce road space. We could then publish details of where and when they will be running so that potential travellers could fit their plans around them. We could also set up a system of calling points where travellers could be picked up and set down, perhaps marked with some kind of sign. It’s called a bus service, Simon, and someone else had the even better idea of linking a string of these large cars together and putting them on a track. That’s known as a railway, Simon, and, judging by the growth in the number of people using them, they seem pretty successful to me.

Alan Whitehouse

Thornton le Dale, North Yorkshire

• Simon Jenkins fails to recognise the socio-economic benefit of using rail transport as part of an integrated approach so the different transport modes can play to their strengths. Taking the freight example, rail is well placed to offer the long-distance trunk haul for consumer as well as bulk cargoes because each freight train can remove up to 130 HGVs from our congested road network, thus reducing congestion, collisions and pollution. Then low emissions vehicles, instead of HGVs, can be used for urban deliveries.

Philippa Edmunds

Manager, Freight on Rail

• I have never been convinced that Simon Jenkins understands the transport needs of the UK. His sheer antipathy towards HS2 is enough to turn one off many of his articles decrying this major development in our infrastructure. But what impelled him to launch into another diatribe over the apparently blocked A1M south of Darlington when he had an alternative? He blithely took a sign in Darlington “south to A1(M)”. If he had looked at his map he would have discovered that 10 miles to the east of Darlington there is the perfectly good A19 to take him right to the A1(M) as far south as Boroughbridge. This route, as everyone knows, gets round the current roadworks on the A1(M) in North Yorkshire.

Eric Potts

St Albans

• Many of us have experienced diversions and traffic jams such as the one suffered by Simon Jenkins on his way south from Darlington. What adds to the frustration is that the information given in advance is so often inadequate. Most of the country’s network of trunk roads is equipped with large electronic panels intended to inform drivers about conditions ahead but all too often the information given either comes too late – ie beyond the point at which drivers could opt for a sensible alternative route – or is too limited to help drivers make a decision about whether to divert or not. When the problem is caused by an incident this may be unavoidable but when it is caused by planned roadworks it is unforgivable.

Jonathan Wallace

Newcastle upon Tyne

• We have found it worth spending five minutes online checking with Frixo or other sites for information about roadworks and traffic flow before setting off on a long journey. There is then time to consider an alternative route.

Mary Stiff

Broadclyst, Devon

• So sorry Simon Jenkins was stuck in a traffic jam for two hours. Even more sorry that brilliant pundits are still not talking about the importance of low-carbon travel.

Nick Nuttgens

Sheffield

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