Heavy duty control

No doubt traffic engineers puff with pride at their ability to apportion equal green time to the multiple movements at interchanges such as Vauxhall Cross and Trafalgar Square (6 secs per min). Does it bother them that their complex algorithms kill the rhythm of natural flow, meaning that at least half the time road-users are disadvantaged and needlessly delayed, including pedestrians held like sheep in “pens”, to be released only when Big Brother Red allows? Curious that such resources are thrown at managing these movements, when most of the time, self-management would do a better job. The wisdom of crowds is a thing of beauty. Traffic control is a thing of duty – heavy duty!