"Colum Mylod" wrote in message
...

The smart way to reduce congestion (not that this expansion has it, 5%
of the area at most has congestion) is to close off zones and reduce
flow. Classic example Hammersmith bridge. Close it and traffic
"evaporates".

Er... not quite.

I remember a miserable afternoon spent trying to get from Barnes to Hanwell.
It should have been a doddle using Hammersmith Bridge, but it was then
closed for repairs (is it still closed, or closed again?). Using Chiswick
Bridge (the westerly nexus of the North and South Circular Roads) was
excruciating because Hammersmith Bridge was closed. The traffic certainly
does not "evaporate", even if the residents of the approach roads (some of
whom seem very self-centred over this issue) think it does. It simply goes
elsewhere (because it has to).

I remember a saying my grandmother frequently used - "full bellies never
think of empty ones".