Chapter III – part two: A large town

Conclusion

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This study of Leeds demonstrates three main points. First it shows that the problems of vehicular movement, even in a complex city, are susceptible to analysis. There is no need to proceed by guesswork or hunch. The necessary characteristics of a network are almost as capable of methodical evaluation as the layout and dimensions of a steel frame for a building. The methods described in this chapter are comparatively crude, but given the time and resources a very reliable prognosis could have been made. Secondly the study shows the very formidable potential build-up of traffic as vehicular ownership and usage increase to the maximum. The accommodation of the full potential is almost certainly beyond any practical possibility of being realised. There is thus no escaping the need to consider to what extent and by what means the full potential is to be curtailed. It seems to us that the restraint is bound to fall primarily on the use of the private car for travelling to work, and this has vitally important implications for public transport. But even granted a restraint, the basic essential traffic and the residual optional traffic which the public seems likely to demand, will require difficult and costly measures. Thirdly, the build-up of traffic is likely to have profound consequences for the central area, necessitating substantial redevelopment, in order to obtain satisfactory accessibility and good environment.