In Reading [England] there is this thing called the IDR, short for 'Inner Distribution Road', which is bureaucratese for 'Big thing that cost a lot of money and relieves traffic problems, provided all your traffic wants to orbit the town centre permanently'. It's a 2-3 lane dual carriageway that goes round the town centre. It has lots of roundabouts, an overhead section, a couple of spare motorway-like exits (that's British motorways -- y'know, the roundabout with the main road going under it), and a thing called the Watlington Street Gyratory, where you have to get in lane for your intended destination about three years and two corners before you get there with no signposting. I used to cycle along it every day to get to school, before I fell off at 35 mph. [Kids! Don't try this at home!] I know it well. I believe it is impossible to leave Reading heading west.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A detailed, humorous critique of a specific road's confusing design.
- In plain terms
- This road is complex and makes it hard to exit properly.
- What can you take from it?
- Urban planning can create unnecessary complexity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Have you ever been confused by a road layout?
Another view
Highly specific to one location and may not resonate globally.
More from Terry Pratchett
I staggered into a Manchester bar late one night on a tour and the waitress said 'You look as if you need a Screaming Orgasm'. At the time this was the last th…
Permalink to quote #32 I didn't go to university. Didn't even finish A-levels. But I have sympathy for those who did.
Permalink to quote #34 What you have here is an example of that well known phenomenon, A Bookshop Assistance Who Knows Buggerall But Won't Admit It (probably some kind of arts gradua…
Permalink to quote #31
Related quotes
The Metropolis should have been aborted long before it became New York, London or Tokyo.
John Kenneth GalbraithJohn Kenneth Galbraith quote #33 Our cities must not be abandoned. They're worth fighting for, not just by those who live in them, but by industry, commerce, unions, everyone. What we need is …
Harvey MilkHarvey Milk quote #7 In a community where public services have failed to keep abreast of private consumption things are very different. Here, in an atmosphere of private opulence a…
John Kenneth GalbraithJohn Kenneth Galbraith quote #8