Chapter III – Practical studies

Introduction

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As explained at the beginning of the previous chapter, we arrived at our working theory by a combined process of searching for principles and studying actual cases. The time and resources at our disposal enabled us to carry out only four major studies. We chose these carefully in order to gain as much knowledge as possible. First we examined the problems of a small town, treating it as a pilot study to bring us to grips with our subject. This completed, we turned our attention to a much bigger town with a population of half a million. Thirdly, we looked into the special problems of a historic town. Fourthly, we studied a portion of Central London, perceiving that this would not only bring us up against most of the problems of redevelopment and urban form, but might also provide a short-cut to an understanding of traffic problems in a very large urban area. We also carried out various minor investigations to clear up specific points, and, of course, we examined a great many plans, projects and completed works in this country and abroad. A special visit was paid to the United States to assess practice there. Our own studies are described in this chapter, and our review of current practice in the next.

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We decided the best way to present this material was roughly in the order in which we used it to develop our thoughts, starting with the pilot study of a small town, and working up to the problems of bigger towns. We do not think any useful purpose would be served by attempting to disguise the localities we studied ourselves, but it should be understood that the exercises are purely academic, and have not been made with any idea of suggesting to the particular local planning authorities how their own areas should be planned. The help we received from the local authorities is acknowledged separately in each study; but we record here our appreciation of the general assistance given by the Traders Road Transport Association who arranged many contacts with firms, as a result of which we were able to learn much about commercial and industrial traffic.

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We must emphasise that in the working examples discussed in this chapter, it is the way in which the problems are approached that is much more important than any quantitative conclusions reached. We think some reliance can be placed on the figures as indicating the range of possibilities; but when the reader follows the examples through he will realise that we have made no more than a modest beginning in getting this complex subject, with its mass of imponderables and alternatives, onto a reliably calculable basis. Add to this the fact that no special surveys were possible in the time available to us, and that in respect of various matters virtually no basic research data is available in this country, and it will be appreciated that this is a field in which a great deal of work remains to be done. We were also limited by lack of time and resources in what we could do to estimate the costs of various courses of action. For two reasons this may not be a serious deficiency. First, it is quite evident that if the growth of traffic is to be accommodated it will require expenditure On a new scale altogether, so precise estimates in today's terms are not necessarily very relevant. Secondly, sheer figures of cost can be seriously intimidating, even misleading, unless accompanied by a comparable statement of benefits. This, of course, is the complex field of cost-benefit analysis, to which we attempt a simple introduction in Appendix 2.