In 1863, in an effort to reduce street traffic, London
opened the world’s first underground line, the Metropolitan
Railway. Its birth can be traced back two decades before to the
building of the world’s first under-river tunnel below the
Thames, which swiftly became both popular with pedestrians and
a huge tourist attraction.
Initially, what would become the London Underground
consisted of tracks dug slightly below the surface and then
covered over, but as the technology improved, and trains
switched from steam-powered to electric, the lines went deeper.
Now the ground beneath Londoners’ feet hums with an extensive
network of Tube lines ferrying people about the city speedily,
efficiently — and out of sight.
Along with trains, powerlines, pipes, and cables, there’s
another piece of infrastructure some have long wished to bury —
roads. To some, these thick asphalt ribbons crisscrossing
countries and cleaving apart communities and ecosystems no
longer seem fit for purpose. As they sprawl longer and wider in
the hopes of speeding up traffic, congestion ticks upwards and
cars continue to pollute the air and spew greenhouse gases.
No one has suggested burying every single one of the
world’s roads. But what would happen if we did relocate them all
below the surface? In a time of increasing urbanization, soaring
inequality and climate crisis, imagining the impact this could
have raises important questions about how our global transport
system is developing — and prompts us to consider where we
really want it to go.
What if all roads went underground? Internet: <www.bbc.com> (adapted)