Change of tune

Newsnight had a very good report last night on the idea of removing traffic lights to boost safety and ease congestion. 

They say there's nothing new in this world. The late, great Nick Ridley used to advocate precisely that, and was dismissed as a nutter for so doing. Now it's the green and cuddly stance.

My father worked for a while with Nick Ridley. Civil servants used to swap stories of his eccentricities. My favourite was when, as Transport Secretary, he was taken to Piccadily Circus to have a look at the underground. He paced up and down the platform looking rather concerned, so his civil servant asked him if anything was wrong. "I'm just wondering where the buffet car is".