Transport Solutions Worksheet

You are going to talk about transport and the environment. Before you begin, here is some
vocabulary that you may want to use. Match the vocabulary in 16 with the explanations af.
1

public consultation

traffic calming

heritage

noise pollution

rat-run

dual carriageway

Unpleasant noise that disturbs people.

A route taken by drivers through back streets to avoid a busy main road.

Measures such as speed humps and mini roundabouts designed to make people drive
more slowly.

Traditional culture which is believed to be important and should be preserved.

A road with two lanes in each direction.

When ordinary people are asked for their opinion about an issue or proposal that may
affect them.

Now read about this situation.

The town of Albourn has a serious traffic problem. Many people travel to work in Thurham, the large
city nearby, but traffic congestion is so bad that it often takes people more than an hour to make the
five-kilometre journey. Drivers therefore increasingly do a rat-run through the quiet residential areas of
the town, which is dangerous, especially for children travelling to school. It is clear that something
needs to be done.
Three solutions to Albourns traffic problem have been suggested. Firstly, an old disused railway
line that used to connect Thurham with nearby towns such as Albourn could be renovated and
re-opened. The railway runs alongside the main road, but it is completely overgrown as it has not been
used for twenty years. Secondly, the main road could be widened into a dual carriageway. This would
mean digging up the old railway line to make way for the road. The third proposal is to encourage
more people to cycle to work by installing a network of cycle lanes linking Albourn to Thurham. This
would involve making many of the back streets of Albourn one-way streets or banning motor vehicles
from them altogether, and installing other traffic calming measures around the town. It would also
involve charging people 3 every time they use the main road to Thurham during rush hour.
A public consultation meeting has been called, in which various people will speak and the local
community will be able to form an opinion about which is the best transport solution.

In small groups, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each proposal, and try to agree on which
of the three solutions would be best for the town.

Author: Tom Booth

Pearson

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