I take everything back. I was wrong. I realise now that in a place like Stamford Street, Southwark, the car offers outstanding convenience and time savings that will make my life better.
Now I just need to know whether to buy the Renault, which promises to save me “secs” (a reference, I understand, to the roof, which retracts in just nine of them):
Or the Mercedes, which I think is promising to save me from slow and difficult walks around town, judging by their use of the pedestrian crossing imagery:
Both look such very very attractive options, it’s impossible to choose. Whichever I get, I just can’t wait to try it out. Ah, the freedom…
At War With The Motorist 
Also check out a few railway stations, where the car industry how much better it is to stuck in a traffic jam rather than relaxing on a train…
Here in America, we once had an advertising campaign from Chevrolet that included a jingle line, “It’s not just a car, it’s your freedom.” Me, I got called a Communist for suggesting a light rail line as an alternative to a 4-lane road or “motorway” to use your terminology. I’m afraid I lost; we’re getting part of the dinosaur road, but it looks like only half of it, as all the delays of various sorts also wound up costing money, and now with fuel costs going up people aren’t travelling as much and fuel tax receipts are down.
It didn’t help matters that the eastern connection for this road is in another state, and that state’s highway department didn’t want to spend money on this connection.
The funny part for me is the “freedom” argument. When this controversy about actual construction began a bit over 20 years ago, I was living in an apartment just three miles from my office (but still had to drive, I have a job that requires client visits). What stood out was that every day, as I turned out of a small development where my apartment was, I would see three other people in the same vehicles almost every time. They included someone in a white Chevrolet, another person in a green Dodge, a man driving a white and silver milk tanker, and finally, I would join them. It was not uncommon for us to all be in the same order on the way to town.
Truth is, if you have a job (translation: you are not retired, not independently wealthy, or not a big politician, which typically also means independently wealthy), a big, BIG determinant of your freedom is a person called a “boss.” You say a car lets you go where you want, when you want? You want to just go away for some hunting, or fishing, or shopping, or something? Try doing that, and see if the boss approves. Try doing that, and see if you have a job to pay for the hunting, fishing, shopping, or the car!
Rule No. 1 on any job–The Boss is always right!
Rule No. 2–If the Boss is wrong, see rule No. 1!
Bike = needing much, much less money = more real freedom.