THE COMMON ROOM By George Wilmot

12th November 1965, Page 188

12th November 1965

Page 188

Page 188, 12th November 1965 — THE COMMON ROOM By George Wilmot

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Lecturer in Transport Studies, University of London

REGIONAL STUDIES—London and the South-East Region: 2

AS indicated last-week, the London and South-East region seems to be moving slowly but surely towards the concept of an "exploded" city. The South-East study in anticipating an increase of 34 m. in population suggests the growth of new cities at Bletchley, Newbury and Southampton to relieve the burden Of congestion in inner London.

Additional proposals envisage great population increases at Swindon, Northampton, Peterborough, Ipswich and Ashford (Kent). New motorways and other routes would link these centres of population and make them focal points of communications.

All these places scheduled for development are too near the arms of London, which would embrace them all. The motorways, instead of becoming quick corridors of communication, would become congested because industry and settlement would be attracted to them. The pressures would be so great that an inexorable cycle of events would ensue. Public transport would tend to collapse in such a wide area of infinite journey patterns, the private car would be more desirable and demand more space, whilst the private and public haulier would be hampered by the greater complexity of destinations on increasingly congested roads.

This tragedy is being played out in all the major cities in the United States, the latest scene being the tremendous efforts to resuscitate a public transport system in disarray.

What can be done to avoid this tide of events? It is becoming clear that whatever efforts are made within the South-East region to grapple with this problem, they can never be entirely successful because of the spread of the

stranglehold of this urban region. From a transport point of view the area is too small to accommodate an extra 3 m. population. This is not a large country and apart from the Glasgow region, no Major industrial area is more than 250 miles from.LondOn..ThoSe within the region must be attracted outside and the boundaries of planning must be made to embrace the whole country.

For Newbury, Bletchley, Northampton and Peter-borough, substitute Cardiff, Liverpool;, Sheffield and Newcastle and the problem will come into better perspective. A series of a few very large urban areas (2 m. population) spread over the whole country should be the aim to ease the burden on London.

But how can industry and population be induced to move into these areas? The plan would be a more practical proposition of the seat of government and the Civil Service were moved from London. Perhaps the most intelligent plan would be along the lines of the West German decentralization system in having different national centres for commerce, banking and insurance, industry and Parliament. Perhaps Cardiff, Liverpool, Newcastle and York might be selected for these governmental services.

These may well be pipe-dreams, but they would make transport sense. London would be contained and each major conurbation would be a centralized and viable unit. In such conditions, public transport would be workable and the task for road haulage made much less complex. With more thought, time and education given to transpoi t, such a plan need licit be so remote.

THE COMMON ROOM By George Wilmot

Page 188

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