Roads of least resistance

摘要

Stimed by the obituary tributes paid to the performer Scott Walker and his most famous 1966 hit record, I found myself musing on its title: Make it easy on yourself. I don't think we make it easy on ourselves in the motoring and transport world, not easy enough, or as easy as it could be. Let me start with an off-road example. At my local railway station there are two ticket gates. Generally one is for leaving the station and one for entering. Each has a small screen displaying either a red cross or a green arrow. For some reason - I'm sure a perfectly logical one - the railway powers that be play a game of 'shuffle-the-options'. Even during the course of a day, entry could be on the left and egress on the right, or vice versa, or the gates could simply be locked open.