:00:10. > :00:14.Millions of pounds wasted thanks to blunders over road maintenance. In
:00:14. > :00:18.a transport special, we ask councils in the east how it
:00:18. > :00:22.happened. There have been faults on both sides and we are looking to
:00:22. > :00:27.rectify that to ensure this never happens again. I will be falling
:00:27. > :00:31.out of love with the car? We had exclusive research on travel across
:00:31. > :00:35.the region. Meet the homeowners faced with demands for thousands of
:00:35. > :00:41.pounds for the right to make improvements on their own homes.
:00:41. > :00:50.cried. And was absolutely horrified. We go in search of the people
:00:50. > :00:55.behind it. I am looking for Mr Nick Gould to please. I am looking for a
:00:55. > :01:05.Nick Gould. Can you turn the camera off please? There is a surprise
:01:05. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:19.happy ending. These are the stories that matter here in the east.
:01:19. > :01:23.Tonight we're in Milton Keynes. Making improvements to your home
:01:23. > :01:28.can be expensive so imagine being charged thousands of pounds just
:01:28. > :01:34.for the right to do that. It sounds like reduce but we had an e-mail
:01:34. > :01:39.from someone in Southend saying that that has been happening to
:01:39. > :01:43.home honours on one estate there. We all dream of having the perfect
:01:43. > :01:48.pad but when you outgrow your home, do you sell up and move on? Many of
:01:48. > :01:52.us don't want that upheaval, preferring to stay put and build an
:01:52. > :01:55.extension. If you want to do that, you have to consult one of these,
:01:55. > :02:00.the deeds of the property, which tells you what you can and cannot
:02:00. > :02:07.do. For instance, here it says we agreed not to upset the neighbours
:02:07. > :02:10.or to sell alcohol or even a to open a Hippodrome or musical. But
:02:10. > :02:15.we have discovered a landowner using wording in deeds like this at
:02:15. > :02:21.to make extortionate demands on a housing estate in Southend. An
:02:21. > :02:27.administration fee of �50,000 for an extension, �5000 for a licence
:02:27. > :02:32.to put up solar panels. �1000 to approve this disabled ramp and
:02:32. > :02:36.�500,000 for consent to build on this empty plot. If you go upstairs,
:02:36. > :02:43.you can see we have been doing a lot of work here. Kerry has the
:02:43. > :02:47.builders in. We have this top level up here but unfortunately they have
:02:47. > :02:52.run out of money so we have not been able to complete that.
:02:52. > :02:59.reason? A �17,000 demand from the estate owners for a licence. Worse
:02:59. > :03:03.still, they were in a hurry, they needed extra space for their son.
:03:03. > :03:08.He nearly died in a forklift truck accident at work last year and has
:03:08. > :03:15.just come at a hospital after another operation. We were
:03:15. > :03:19.horrified but our son was very unwell and all we were thinking
:03:19. > :03:24.where we need to get this done and we don't have a choice. We had a
:03:24. > :03:29.letter and we had no previous England, they wanted �17,500. They
:03:29. > :03:33.did and justified it, they said if you want to carry out this work,
:03:33. > :03:38.that is what you are going to pay, so we didn't have a choice. We had
:03:38. > :03:43.planning permission and needed to get the work done. We needed to
:03:43. > :03:47.bring our son home. It is not an isolated case. From the top of St
:03:47. > :03:52.Augustine's Church, you can get a real feel of the skill of the
:03:52. > :03:56.problem. In every direction, all the way down to the seafront there,
:03:56. > :04:01.are 1800 homes, some of them battling with the landlord over
:04:01. > :04:05.extravagant charges. Across the UK, about 3 million homes are leasehold.
:04:05. > :04:10.Tenants pay ground rent to the landowners and here it is about �20
:04:10. > :04:13.a year. The estate was built in a time before planning regulation so
:04:13. > :04:18.covenants were put in place to protect its character. The property
:04:18. > :04:23.company which now owns the estate is entitled to enforce covenants
:04:23. > :04:26.including the licence fees but it has to be reasonable. We have
:04:26. > :04:31.discovered many cases including some of our people have been
:04:31. > :04:36.charged thousands for consent even though their deeds specified they
:04:36. > :04:41.should only be charged a maximum of two Guineas. In today's money, just
:04:41. > :04:47.a couple of pounds. But some have been asked for much, much more for
:04:47. > :04:51.their extensions. They sent us a letter, asking us for �50,000.
:04:51. > :04:56.what was your reaction when you opened the letter and saw that?
:04:56. > :05:04.cried. I was absolutely horrified to have a letter dropped on the
:05:04. > :05:09.doormat like that, it is just horrific. We would never be able to
:05:09. > :05:13.get that sort of money. It would be selling the house. We hadn't been
:05:13. > :05:19.there long and it was to improve our lives and the lives of our
:05:19. > :05:22.children. It is quite averages, they clearly thought it was an
:05:22. > :05:26.asset and they are using the cash, to produce many. It was never
:05:26. > :05:30.designed us, it was designed to protect that residence before there
:05:30. > :05:32.were proper planning laws in the area. There is an enormous amount
:05:32. > :05:42.of fear and its society, particularly amongst those that
:05:42. > :05:45.
:05:45. > :05:53.were old and honourable in the community. �5300. �3000 there and
:05:53. > :05:55.�2000 there. They bury all the time. Ron Woodley's home has become
:05:56. > :06:02.campaign headquarters for the residents' association fighting the
:06:02. > :06:07.extravagant demands. We have had cases where it has gone to �40,000,
:06:07. > :06:12.� 50,000 and just recently, they asked a gentleman for �500,000.
:06:12. > :06:16.There is no rhyme or reason for these amounts coming in? It seems
:06:16. > :06:20.to be, if they believe you're a week, the more they will charge. If
:06:20. > :06:26.you are strong and you understand your deeds, it is a small amount. I
:06:26. > :06:31.have a case from 2009. The couple were moving to Scotland and at the
:06:31. > :06:36.point of sale, Clisset, we want �5000 because they have done
:06:36. > :06:40.alterations. It was secondary double glazing. They did not change
:06:40. > :06:44.the appearance of a house and they put solar panels on the river.
:06:44. > :06:50.get the feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg? Yes, there are
:06:50. > :06:53.hundreds of cases. I think it is outrageous. Two years ago, the
:06:53. > :06:57.residents' association secured a deal for 170 residents who had
:06:57. > :07:03.carried out alterations. They accepted they should have got
:07:03. > :07:08.consent before going ahead and each agreed to pay �300. But some
:07:08. > :07:12.homeowners continue to face demands for thousands. Who is behind it?
:07:12. > :07:17.We're off to see Pier Management, it collects the demands from
:07:17. > :07:21.residents. It turns out Pier Management is part of the Regis
:07:21. > :07:26.Group PLC, one of the biggest private landlords in the South East
:07:27. > :07:31.with a multi-billion pound global property empire. It is not often we
:07:31. > :07:34.get an apology but they sent us a letter apologising unreservedly for
:07:34. > :07:38.residents who were unhappy or suffered distress where procedures
:07:38. > :07:41.had not been implemented to the required standards. They said the
:07:42. > :07:46.allegations had been taken seriously, practices had been
:07:46. > :07:50.extensively reviewed and this will not happen again. We asked for an
:07:50. > :07:54.interview but it declined, they have not explained why the high
:07:54. > :07:59.demands had continued for so long. We're here on the Burges Estate,
:07:59. > :08:08.this is the home of Nick Gould, one of the directors. Shall we see if
:08:08. > :08:12.he has anything to say? We're told that he is often here. I am looking
:08:12. > :08:20.for Nick Gould, I am from the BBC Inside Out programme and other dyke
:08:20. > :08:25.to speak to him about charges being levied on the Burges Estate.
:08:25. > :08:28.have the wrong address. We know that he does live here but there is
:08:28. > :08:38.no sign of him so let's ahead to the hotel that his company owns and
:08:38. > :08:46.see if we can locate him there. Hello, I am looking for Nick Gould.
:08:46. > :08:52.Sorry, he is not here, can you turn the camera off? We try the Regis
:08:52. > :09:02.Group PLC headquarters in Southend. Is he in today? I would be keen to
:09:02. > :09:03.
:09:03. > :09:06.talk to him. And with that, they hung up. Not available. The
:09:06. > :09:11.residents' association has made a formal allegation against Regis
:09:11. > :09:14.Group PLC to Southend police. confirm that we have received
:09:14. > :09:19.allegations and we are establishing the facts, looking to work with the
:09:19. > :09:23.CPS to see if criminal offences have taken place. As much as I have
:09:23. > :09:32.my own personal view on the standards of what is going on, this
:09:32. > :09:35.is a matter that has a crime being committed? The company says it
:09:35. > :09:39.utterly refutes any wrongdoing in lot and was unaware of any formal
:09:39. > :09:43.police investigation. After we wrote to the company, several of
:09:43. > :09:46.the residents have had a rather nice surprise. After 16 months
:09:46. > :09:55.waiting for her complaints are to be dealt with, Kerry has just had
:09:55. > :10:01.news. We had a phone call the week after you came. The company sent
:10:01. > :10:07.around the female representative who presented us with an apology
:10:07. > :10:11.and a refund cheque for or the �15,000 that we had paid. So we got
:10:11. > :10:16.it all back. Over the moon. What are you going to do with the money?
:10:16. > :10:20.We're going to do the decorating and building work and finish of the
:10:20. > :10:25.work we should have been able to do 60 months ago. There is more good
:10:25. > :10:29.news, Sarah's demand for � 50,000 dropped to �900 and after we
:10:29. > :10:33.contacted the company, even that has now been refunded. They
:10:33. > :10:37.defended the fee of �500,000 for the empty plot saying it would be a
:10:37. > :10:41.substantial property and the case needed to go to tribunals. There is
:10:41. > :10:45.a further development - the company told us they have decided to sell
:10:45. > :10:55.their interest in the estate. For these homeowners, that will be an
:10:55. > :10:57.
:10:57. > :11:01.end to extravagant charges for the right to improve their homes.
:11:01. > :11:04.The campaign doesn't stop there. Ron Woodley from the residents'
:11:04. > :11:08.association says the next step is to tighten the law on pieces,
:11:08. > :11:18.making it their for millions of home owners around the country. If
:11:18. > :11:19.
:11:19. > :11:24.you think there is something we This our love affair with the car
:11:25. > :11:29.over? Everybody gave up and got used to using Facebook and phones
:11:29. > :11:36.and sitting around and all using public transport that I don't think
:11:36. > :11:40.anyone cares about cars anymore. Everyone who uses the roads relies
:11:40. > :11:44.on men being kept safe. It is the job of the council to make sure
:11:44. > :11:49.that happens. We found out that in some parts of the East, that has
:11:49. > :11:54.not happened and it is costing taxpayers a lot of money. The story
:11:54. > :11:59.starts here in Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes is designed for the
:11:59. > :12:03.car. It has over 1000 bridges, more than Venice and for the last few
:12:03. > :12:07.years, a company called Mouchel was maintaining them. The company was
:12:07. > :12:11.being paid by the council to look after these bridges, but some of
:12:11. > :12:15.the work was not being done, leaving taxpayers out of pocket and
:12:15. > :12:20.some bridges in need of urgent repair. Milton Keynes is not the
:12:21. > :12:25.only council in the east to be let down by Mouchel. We ask how this
:12:25. > :12:29.can happen. We have a good track record of road safety and I think
:12:30. > :12:34.that is something we are proud of. The bridge inspections are a slur
:12:34. > :12:39.on that. There has been faults on both sides and we are looking to
:12:39. > :12:44.write that are wrong. We want to ensure this does not happen again.
:12:44. > :12:50.This is what can happen if bridges collapse. In 1978, a lorry driver
:12:50. > :12:53.was killed here. For 30 years there was no further problems until
:12:53. > :12:59.January this year when Milton Keynes Council made a shocking
:12:59. > :13:04.admission, that it was unable to confirm its bridges were safe.
:13:04. > :13:11.you turn around and have a look at that post. There is a crack in it.
:13:11. > :13:15.It is lethal. George Harlock was a bridge inspector for Mouchel.
:13:15. > :13:21.contract was to inspect, plan repairs and get them done. In my
:13:21. > :13:27.time, it was not happening properly. I saw a lot of bridges that were
:13:27. > :13:32.unsafe or in need of maintenance. The problem is that at some point
:13:32. > :13:38.in the past, these not have been stolen. He raised his concerns, but
:13:38. > :13:46.he said no one listened. He went out and fixed one of the Bridges
:13:46. > :13:51.himself. He even filmed it. It took him 20 minutes to do the job.
:13:51. > :13:56.Mouchel was paid over �1.5 million for servicing these bridges. Some
:13:56. > :14:01.of the work was done, but a number of bridges were not maintained.
:14:01. > :14:07.There is nothing to stop someone going through. This safety system
:14:07. > :14:13.is not safe! Not in this section. The citizens of Milton Keynes it
:14:13. > :14:17.will go on paying taxes for the neglect for years. Hertfordshire
:14:17. > :14:20.County Council has lost money because of Mouchel. Its design this
:14:20. > :14:27.bus lane but the signs were wrong and unsuspecting motorists were
:14:27. > :14:34.caught out. Around 30,000 of them. Signs that should have warned
:14:34. > :14:38.drivers that cars were banned were not clear. Vijay Goatley got two 60
:14:38. > :14:44.than fines in one day. How often it did you use this part of the road?
:14:44. > :14:47.Almost every day. When you came through here and you were caught
:14:47. > :14:52.out of by those cameras, did you have any idea that they were there?
:14:52. > :14:57.I had no idea because I was driving through year all the time. How do
:14:57. > :15:04.you feel are given that you have always used to this route's and I
:15:04. > :15:08.was quite angry. It was almost like there was no warning. It was only
:15:08. > :15:13.later that when you do it again and you come past and have a look and
:15:13. > :15:16.you realise that there are signs. It was not very clear. Mouchel
:15:16. > :15:20.would not give us an interview but said that the signage was installed
:15:20. > :15:24.in accordance with all regulations, but in April a tribunal had ruled
:15:24. > :15:29.that the signage was unlawful. The council is now offering to pay
:15:29. > :15:36.everyone back. I take it you will be applying for your money back?
:15:36. > :15:39.Yes. I could do with my money back. Mouchel's contract ended in October
:15:39. > :15:44.and was not renewed. Hertfordshire council refuse to be interviewed
:15:44. > :15:47.but said that overall the company had met the terms of its contract.
:15:47. > :15:52.Given the problem with the bus scheme, the council said it tried
:15:52. > :15:56.to get his money back but legally it cannot. Thanks to this blunder,
:15:56. > :16:01.the reforms are going to cost the council and tax payers over �1
:16:01. > :16:05.million. In Milton Keynes, an investigation found that Mouchel
:16:05. > :16:09.was at fault and had not carried out some of the work it was
:16:09. > :16:13.supposed to. They told us it had met the terms of its contract.
:16:13. > :16:17.Councils are responsible for making sure private contractors carry out
:16:17. > :16:21.work. The report also found that Milton Keynes council was to blame
:16:21. > :16:26.for not overseeing of this work properly. Why did it take so long
:16:26. > :16:31.for you to take action after concerns were raised? The bridge
:16:31. > :16:35.programme was the subject of some discussion between us and Mouchel.
:16:35. > :16:39.We have had some contractual disputes which are coming to an end.
:16:39. > :16:45.The important thing is that we put the past in the past and learn from
:16:45. > :16:54.it and we move on. You say you have got of the disputes sorted. How you
:16:54. > :16:59.done at? That is a sensitive issue. That is between us and them. We are
:16:59. > :17:04.in a better place now than we were before. It is a sensitive issue,
:17:04. > :17:08.but this is spending taxpayers' money. People in Milton Keynes are
:17:08. > :17:13.paying for something that should have been maintained, repaired and
:17:13. > :17:17.that job was not happening, so it may be a sensitive issue, but
:17:17. > :17:21.viewers will say this is my money and things have not been carried
:17:21. > :17:25.out that should have been by accompany that was outsourced to do
:17:25. > :17:30.a job or by the council. resolution that has been reached is
:17:30. > :17:34.a good one for the council and that is the taxpayer as well. We do not
:17:34. > :17:39.know exactly what agreement was reached but what we do know is that
:17:39. > :17:43.emergency repairs are now under way. Although Mouchel has been involved,
:17:43. > :17:47.the council has brought work in house and it hopes to complete it
:17:47. > :17:51.by the end of next year. We are getting our inspections up-to-date
:17:51. > :17:56.and we have done a huge programme of putting things right and we are
:17:57. > :18:01.moving forwards. The first lot of emergency repairs is costing
:18:01. > :18:04.�650,000. The council has renegotiated the contract with
:18:04. > :18:10.Mouchel which it says gives the council more flexibility but this
:18:10. > :18:14.has come at a cost to the taxpayer. Does that mean in that Mouchel will
:18:14. > :18:20.not be repairing bridges, inspecting bridges here? They will
:18:20. > :18:23.not be carrying out many functions as of the end of December because
:18:23. > :18:28.of Milton Keynes council Cabinet took a decision to bring the
:18:28. > :18:32.services of that they currently deliver back into a wholly on
:18:32. > :18:37.subsidiary company of the council. We have come to an amicable
:18:37. > :18:42.settlement. That is a financial settlement to get out of a
:18:42. > :18:47.contractor that meant you were paying them an annual fee! Yes. It
:18:47. > :18:52.was a 12 year deal and we have paid to come out of that early. How much
:18:52. > :18:58.did you pay to get out of it? That is subject to discussion. The
:18:58. > :19:01.papers were tabled in closed session last night and that is
:19:01. > :19:06.commercially sensitive issue. went back to the council to find
:19:06. > :19:15.out how much that settlement has cost taxpayers. The council told us
:19:15. > :19:18.that the figure will not be made public.
:19:18. > :19:21.Travelling along the canal is a nice way to get around but a
:19:21. > :19:27.favoured method of transport is the car. We have had a love affair with
:19:27. > :19:32.that for the last 50 years. We have had exclusive access to research
:19:32. > :19:41.suggesting that that love affair could be going cold. Here is
:19:41. > :19:46.Richard Westcott. Building roads is controversial but not building them
:19:46. > :19:53.can be controversial as well. So how do the planners get it right?
:19:53. > :19:57.How do they decide what to spend our taxes on road or rail? The only
:19:57. > :20:05.way you can ever be sure is to been yourself into the future and we all
:20:05. > :20:08.know how easy that is. When these fans were watching their favourite
:20:08. > :20:17.series back in the 1960s we thought we knew how we would be travelling
:20:17. > :20:21.by 2012. There was top of having a personal car that flu. Sci-fi got
:20:21. > :20:26.it wrong. Most of us get around the same way we did 50 years ago,
:20:26. > :20:30.having your own jet pack remains a distant dream. Ever since I can
:20:30. > :20:40.remember, we have assumed that traffic is going to get worse and
:20:40. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:49.worse. After all, we really love our cars! Well maybe not. Whisper
:20:49. > :20:57.it, but there is a rumour going around that we are falling out of
:20:57. > :21:02.love with an hour for Wales. They had even given it a name, Peak Car.
:21:02. > :21:07.So what is at peak Khara? Look at UK traffic growth in the 1960s and
:21:07. > :21:15.1970s when we could not get enough cars. By the 1990s the trend was
:21:15. > :21:20.slowing and by 2002 average mileage per-person it stalled. Is the love
:21:20. > :21:25.affair with the car cooling down? What seems to be happening is that
:21:25. > :21:30.it in many advanced countries including America, is that traffic
:21:30. > :21:36.growth due to car use is simply not going ahead at the same rate so
:21:36. > :21:40.that it used to. Now Inside Out has been given and the first piece of
:21:40. > :21:45.research into the car in the UK and this report is full of surprises.
:21:45. > :21:53.It shows that some of us are driving more than ever, but some of
:21:53. > :21:59.us are changing the way we travel. Take the young men. When I was
:21:59. > :22:03.young I could not wait to get my hands on the keys to my dad's Mk 4
:22:03. > :22:07.Cortina with reversing lights. What a lot of young men eyes of getting
:22:07. > :22:15.my driving licence as a rite of passage but it seems that is
:22:15. > :22:18.changing. Market trader Lee Vernon is 19 that he will not be adding to
:22:18. > :22:27.the traffic any time soon. He has been forced to sell up because he
:22:27. > :22:33.has been quoted at �2,800 to insure his three-wheeler. I love it. It
:22:33. > :22:39.looks great. It is a classic car. The insurance is too much and I
:22:39. > :22:47.cannot afford it. The research shows he is not alone. Young men
:22:47. > :22:51.are driving at 2000 miles per year less than they were in 1995. Women
:22:52. > :22:56.though actually driving more than they used to. What is going on?
:22:56. > :23:02.think what has changed his attitude Wise, everyone has gave up and got
:23:02. > :23:08.used to using Facebook, phones, sitting around or using public
:23:08. > :23:12.transport and I do not think anyone cares about cars anymore. One of
:23:12. > :23:15.the big things from the report is that young men are not driving so
:23:15. > :23:20.much and there are a lot of explanations. Rise in education,
:23:20. > :23:24.rise in insurance costs. The important point is that if this
:23:24. > :23:31.trend carries on at them we will see a lot less car traffic and a
:23:31. > :23:36.lot less car ownership as well. what else has the report found.
:23:36. > :23:44.This is the rainy 716 am Warwick Parkway to Marylebone. Over the
:23:44. > :23:48.last two years, the numbers using this line have gone up by 40%.
:23:48. > :23:52.According to the report, that is in line with the national trend. Since
:23:52. > :23:56.the mid- 1990s the distance the average person travels by rail has
:23:56. > :24:02.soared by more than 60%. The last time the trains were that busy was
:24:02. > :24:06.during the war. The key growth that we have seen is in two areas.
:24:06. > :24:10.Business travel in the morning and the other is on leisure travel,
:24:10. > :24:14.especially at weekends were train travel has become much cheaper. At
:24:14. > :24:19.the same time as fuel prices are increasing, it costs more to drive
:24:19. > :24:23.a car, congestion is increasing, so the value of creation is tilting
:24:23. > :24:27.towards rail. All those gadgets mean you can now work or play on
:24:27. > :24:34.the move. You can even book your ticket on the train if you can get
:24:34. > :24:42.a signal. While business travel by rail is up, company car mileage is
:24:42. > :24:45.down by 40% between 1995 and 2007. That is before the recession.
:24:45. > :24:50.Scrapping tax breaks made the difference and it has had a big
:24:50. > :24:54.impact on traffic in London. Despite a more people moving to the
:24:54. > :24:57.capital, there are fewer cars here, but the report found that people in
:24:57. > :25:01.the countryside seemed to be driving as much, if not more than
:25:01. > :25:09.ever. Of course, in big cities you do have a lot of options for
:25:09. > :25:12.getting around. Fairfax Hall runs a London company making specialist
:25:12. > :25:17.gin and vodka and things he has distilled the perfect formula for
:25:17. > :25:27.company travel. When they need a car are van the but it from a club
:25:27. > :25:29.
:25:29. > :25:32.and pick it up from a designated parking space later. We are a small
:25:32. > :25:37.business and we do not have a lot of money. We invested everything we
:25:37. > :25:41.had into the Distillery and investing loads of money into a van
:25:41. > :25:45.did not seem like a good use of capital. It is relatively low cost
:25:45. > :25:55.and the other benefit is flexibility. You can jump into a
:25:55. > :25:55.
:25:55. > :25:59.brand-new vehicle and drive at 15 minutes' notice. OK, so what does
:25:59. > :26:05.this research mean for the future of the UK car industry? We have had
:26:05. > :26:11.a bit of a boom recently. The UK is actually on course to produce a
:26:11. > :26:17.more cars than at any time since 1972. That is not because we are
:26:17. > :26:21.all buying a new car. 80% are being exported. These are the these are
:26:21. > :26:25.heading for Asia and South America. It is not just the car industry
:26:25. > :26:28.that will be looking at this. The Department for Transport is
:26:28. > :26:33.planning a major road building programme all based on the
:26:33. > :26:40.assumption that traffic will go up by 44% over the next two decades.
:26:40. > :26:44.What if they have got it wrong? After all, since 1989, successive
:26:44. > :26:50.governments have over estimated at traffic growth. This is the range
:26:50. > :26:54.of predictions, the red line is what is actually happening. There
:26:54. > :26:59.is always a risk. And the key thing that that Department for Transport
:26:59. > :27:05.model dos is take a wide red -- range of data and insurers it is
:27:05. > :27:09.rigorously analysed, a lot of use of things by their for us to look
:27:09. > :27:14.at and I am not convinced that it shows we have reached Peak Car.
:27:14. > :27:18.Government points out that the UK population is predicted to grow by
:27:18. > :27:22.another 10 million in the next 25 years. The RAC Foundation who
:27:22. > :27:27.helped fund the report says this means we are still going to need
:27:27. > :27:31.more roads. This is not the end of the car. The use of the car is
:27:31. > :27:36.declining but for 70% of the population people will need to use
:27:36. > :27:40.cars unless they have railways and buses available. Most people will
:27:40. > :27:45.not have those. Almost half a century ago when Star Trek started,
:27:45. > :27:51.this is what we thought travel in the 21st century would look like.
:27:51. > :27:55.It is pure 1960s. It all goes to show just how hard it is to predict
:27:55. > :28:00.the future. The danger is the end up assuming it will be like a
:28:00. > :28:03.bigger version of what we have today. The motor car has been in
:28:03. > :28:09.the transport story of the last 50 years and I never thought I would
:28:09. > :28:19.say this, but it just might not be the transport story of the next 50.
:28:19. > :28:19.
:28:19. > :28:24.What does this button do? If you want to find out more about how
:28:24. > :28:29.traffic has changed, you can go to our website. If there is something
:28:29. > :28:34.you think we should do a story about contact --, e-mail me. I am
:28:34. > :28:38.on Twitter as well. I will see you next week. I will be back with
:28:38. > :28:42.these stories from the east. We look at one solution to debt that
:28:42. > :28:49.is helping thousands of people. Singing out the message, the Essex