It’s surprising that the FT reports the lack of motorway building in the UK as an entirely negative story (“Britain adds just 65 miles of motorway in a decade”, Report, May 5), including an unchallenged quote from Noble Francis, economics director of the Construction Products Association, that “we need . . . additional roads to make travelling easier and quicker”.
Induced demand, whereby the building of additional lanes or stretches of motorway increases congestion, has been understood by transport planners and engineers for decades.
A quote attributed to Lewis Mumford, the American urban theorist, from the 1950s still holds true: adding lanes to ease congestion is like loosening your belt to cure obesity.
Ted Maxwell
London E2, UK
