We have similar problems over here. I live 2 1/2 miles from the town centre. Easy commuting by bike and we have a good bus service - runs every 10 minutes. Unfortunately, at the moment our town centre is more or less decimated as they are building a new shopping centre. At this end of town we have a big retail park with ASDA-Walmart and several other big named stores. We do our main shopping there and if there is anything I need there are cycle paths (no cars allowed) from my house directly there. I just put whatever I buy in my back-pack. It takes 8 minutes to get to ASDA-Walmart by bike. It takes 12 minutes by car as the cycle paths are a more direct route.

We have a serious overcrowding problem here thanks to the government we have operating an "open door" immigration policy. There aren't enough houses to go round and immigrants are being given houses in preference to our own people - many who have been waiting for a house for several years. In the private sector, house prices are now so high that young people can't afford them. Most houses now cost well into 6 figure sums of money.

To compound problems, we don't have a decent public transport system and our roads are a mess, full of potholes. Public transport is also very expensive here. Go to countries like France, Holland, Germany etc. and their public transport is good and well thought out. What really irks me is that the government is banging on about getting cars off the road but to be honest, often it is cheaper to use your car than use public transport - which is also very unreliable here. They really need to sort out both town planning and public transport if they want to get people out of cars.