first mate, you don't seem to have read James B's post fully. He outlined there that London cannot cope with as much motor traffic as its population grows. Etcetera! So we need to focus on pedestrians, cycling and public transport. So the council is being realistic - one could argue. So it isn't a question of CHOICE, first mate. Can't you see that? It will be futile and short sighted to try to blame political parties for actually planning for the future rather than just carrying on as if we can live this way forever. Which is clearly unsustainable.