A hard shoulder to cry on

There is a paradox of convenience. The more convenient something becomes, the more people will tend to use it. Over time, however, this increased usage will only create new inconveniences. Car travel is the exemplar par excellence. As more people can afford cars and a wider motorway network makes the country more accessible, we spend more of our time in cars. But of course it is not convenient to actually be in a car travelling, nor to be expected to constantly move from place to place. And the more people avail themselves of the opportunities motorways present, the more congested roads get and the less convenient the whole business becomes.

Article in today's Independent.