Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Little View Post
Unsurprisingly, I should've at least [half] expected] a reply along those *lines (if you'll excuse the *pun). And, to be honest, it WOULD be difficult to justify the expense involved ... not only in Wales and Scotland, but nationwide.

Frankly, there's NO easy way to curb the amount of traffic on British roads. But I do believe that if more bulk freight were transported by rail - as it used to be before Beeching's short-sighted (as it turned out) cuts *in 1963 - then the density of massive haulage vehicles using our motorways would be a lot less, for a start. Hopefully, this in itself, would ultimately lead to fewer accidents involving heavy lorries and trucks ... and limit the damage to the environment caused by burnt fuel pollution from exhaust pipes.

There again, in fairness to the *THEN Minister of Transport, he could hardly have been expected to've been able to foresee the vast increase in the volume of traffic over the ensuing 4/5 decades. I therefore rest my case (which had originally been raised partly in jest! ).
I don't know how it could be achieved and especially in todays economic climate, but I think Arthur is thinking along the right lines because we can't continue to build even more motorways and widen existing motorways. What is needed is a new national rail frieght company with a network of major rail frieght terminals throughout the the country.

I firmly believe that the present motorway mayhem could actually help to make this a very attractive alternative and therefore a very successful venture financially. If enough money was invested in it to make it a faster and cheaper way to transport goods then perhaps we could get back to the way things used to be be when most of the long haul frieght was transported by rail and only saw the back of a lorry for the final (local) part of the journey.

I realise that it would take a very brave government to embark on such a venture even if times were better, but looking at the present mess, I don't think there is another real, long term solution that doesn't involve rail.