ABSTRACT
This chapter recapitulates the main arguments of the book. By the 1960s, a long-established intellectual tradition had raised the need for the modernisation of the road network, both to support mobility and to improve the urban environment. This was coupled by an increasing problem of traffic on London’s streets and increasing demand for decisive answers. In the early 1960s this led to the hasty and uncritical creation of a plan for an urban motorway network – the Ringways – that could be used to showcase the capability of the new GLC. The political consensus in favour of this plan was strong at first but had begun to unravel by 1967 – leading to increased political tension. The GLC was sympathetic to many of these points but was unable to respond in a substantial or effective way. However, the GLC was much more effective at coming up with alternative transport policies, and by the time the Ringways were cancelled, following a change in administration in 1973, policy had moved on to embrace public transport and restrictions on motoring. As a result, London has remained a city focused on its centre, dominated by public transport and grateful for the rejection of the Ringways programme.
