Trains and automobiles

In his latest bid to keep HS2 on track, the transport minister is now claiming capacity is the crucial factor. Capacity could be increased by adding carriages to existing trains and if necessary extending platforms to accommodate them. Above all, instead of spending tens of billions churning up the countryside to shave journey times between London and the northwest – while neglecting regions starved of transport links – a transport minister worth his salt would attend to the roads. Under the current system, road capacity is rationed by regulation which denies infinite filtering opportunities. The hours lost in the mists of dead red time can only be imagined. Liberate and make roads safe by giving all road-users equal rights, let us filter on opportunity instead of making us fume at red or speed at green, and suddenly there will be a vast increase in capacity – on the roads. At the same time we would save £50bn a year in traffic (mis)management and associated public costs.