Mals Memories (From Penarth Times)

Mals Memories

DO you remember what it was like to drive on the open road?

That thrill has long gone, but it was a special feeling to have the freedom of our roads when they were virtually traffic free.

When I was a boy it was still a relatively rare occasion to see a car - certainly rare enough to make us youngsters run to get a look.

And you felt really special when you were going on holiday and hired a taxi to take you to the railway station.

By the time I passed my test in 1960, and had my first driving licence, traffic had begun to build up - but it was still a pleasure to tootle around largely unobstructed roads.

When we drove down to the Loire Valley in France a couple of years ago I was struck by the sparseness of traffic on French country roads.

It was like taking a step back in time - it could have been Britain 40 years ago.

I cannot say that I found the French particularly friendly or helpful.

They certainly gave the impression that they were doing you a big favour by allowing you to spend money holidaying in their country, and suffice it to say that I won"t be rushing back.

But I certainly envied them their empty roads. Admittedly it was autumn, not a peak holiday time, but even so the lack of traffic was spectacular.

Britain, on the other hand, is on the way to becoming gridlocked, with vehicle use still rising rapidly.

Official figures show that traffic has increased by a staggering 80 percent since 1980.

There are now more than 21 million cars on our roads, as well as 800,000 motorcycles and 75,000 public transport vehicles.

I wonder what it will be like in another 25 years.

* Malcolm Davies is a former editor of the Penarth Times. Mal"s Memories are on the Penarth Times web site www.thisispenarth.co.uk