The Road to Ruin

The M25, the motorway around London, opened in 1986. Today people call it the biggest car park in Europe. Every morning on the radio we hear about jams, and road repairs, and (a) ________, and which parts of the M25 to avoid. One day soon we will hear “There is a traffic jam all the (b) ________ round the M25 in both directions. If you are driving to work, we advise you to go back home.”

Winston Churchill described the car as the curse of the twentieth (c) ________. This will probably be true of the 21^st (c) ________, (d) ________. It can be very funny to compare advertisements for cars with the reality of driving them. Cars are symbols of freedom, wealth, and masculinity. But when you are (e) ________ in a traffic jam, all cars are just little metal boxes to sit in.

Cities and towns all over the world have a (f) ________ problem, and no government really knows what to do. For one it is not a matter of technology which is stopping us. If we want to build two-level roads, we can do it. If we want trains which can travel at hundreds of miles an hour, we can build them.

The problem is the question of principle. Should we look to road or rail for our transport needs? Should the government or private companies control them? And either way, who should pay?

The people who believe in roads say that cars represent a personal (g) ________ to travel when and where you want to. But on trains and buses – public transport – you have to travel when the (h) ________ says you can.

These people think that if you build more roads, the traffic will move more quickly, but research shows that if there are more roads, there will be more cars to fill them.

By 2010 the number of cars on our roads will double. Environmentalists are saying that we should put more money into public transport. Cars often carry just one (i) ________. If the public transport system works, more people will use it. If trains carry more people, the roads won’t be so crowded, and cars pollute the air more than trains.

One characteristic of the people today is that we are a (j) ________ on the move. But it is just possible that soon we won’t be able to move another inch, and we’ll have to stay exactly where we are!

Comprehension Check

1. Say if the following sentences are true or false.

a) You can park your car on the M25.

b) There is always a jam all the way round the M25.

c) W. Churchill thought cars were an awful invention.

d) Advertisements for cars don’t show the reality of driving.

e) We do not have the technology to solve the traffic problem.

f) We need to decide what principles are if we want to solve the traffic problem.

g) Some people think that the traffic will move more quickly if there are more roads.

h) Environmentalists think that public transport should be more expensive.

2. Did the article mention any of the advantages and disadvantages of cars and trains that you discussed?

3. What are the reasons for building new roads?

4. What are the reasons for improving the public transport system?

What do you think?

What is the traffic situation like in your town?

Is there a good public transport system? Is it cheap?

Do you have to pay to use the motorways? Do you drive well?

Speaking

Work in groups of 5. Prepare and act out a role play.

Role A. You want to build more roads. (Where? Who will pay?)

Role B. You want to improve public transport system. (How? Will it have to make a profit?)

Role C. You are a cyclist.

Role D....

Role E....