Motomania
Richard Forbes As we come to the end of the decade and look back on the 2020s, we can discern more easily than was perhaps possible at the time, some of the strange twists and turns in the events of the last 10 years. Going back to the start of the decade we can try to understand the motorway mania that took hold of the population of the United Kingdom and destroyed the prosperity of that once great country. 2020 began as an unexceptional year. In January there were headline stories about political shocks, economic blocs, and celebrity frocks, but these were much the same as in 2019. Then, as the country got over its New Year hangover, a strange craze swept across the kingdom. At first it was noticed only in some provincial cities and was dismissed as a nine days’ wonder. But the mania spread and spread, engulfing town and country from north to south and east to west. Every day in every free minute, motorists would rush to their cars and head for the dual carriageways and the motorways. By the middle of spring every two-way highway was jammed with cars bumper to bumper, barely moving. Alarmed by this bizarre behaviour the Government of the United Kingdom took drastic action. New roads were built at breakneck speeds. ...
