Robin
I found the timeline for UK transport from 1953 - 1993 particularly interesting - pretty well my 'traveling' life that started with walking to first school, then bicycle to secondary school, car to work, then long distance commuting and working abroad (air travel). I presume the last 16 years has confirmed the trends, with a recent small relative increase in rail travel?
Personally, I have given up air travel and no longer commute. But I have seen our relatively remote (for UK) rural area gradually adopt new up-market pocket-housing schemes that could only work with car ownership. It is interesting to see that the latest and biggest wave of these schemes (plural) are sitting finished but empty. I do not expect them to be bought anytime soon.
There must be an increasing number of such 'stranded assets'?
There is a whole lot of development, perhaps the majority that happened this last 30 years, that is vulnerable. Greater London expanded by radial rail routes, and while radial commuting is still vast (how vast?), in London and elsewhere there has been a huge expansion in school and work and shopping travel criss-crossing in all directions. Similarly, when the old industries closed all over the country, work and people got dispersed. It is hard to imagine such 'local employment' these days coming back on a sufficient scale. (I can more easily imagine shopping patterns changing.)
I agree with you about the health value of walking and cycling to work (I belong to a Heart Support Group). Do you have info on the relative proportion of journeys that are short and need not be taken by car?
phil