Grandparenting takes me to an area just north of the north circular, and trips to the nursery for drop offs and pickups can be a 0.75 walk, a trip on the bus for many of the locals, who would be breathless after a round trip of 1.5 miles. The direct route would be along the main A road that links the various urban identities, this seems to be the chosen route for the rare few, who think anything over 40 yards is a car journey, but 200yds north is a quiet street running parallel, the air quality there is better, it is quieter and the children are safer.
Similarly I live on a B road that joins the town center to the outskirts, traffic calming features have been put in on the two A roads, which were the 2 main trunk routes out of town so, taxi man, fat4x4slob, white van driver, boy racer and all other and sundry choose it as favoured route.
This route goes past a primary school, and the pavements are thick with parents, push carts, buggies and all twice a day. Running parallel are a series of green spaces linked by footpaths, quiet streets and alleyways.
But does anyone use this route, precious few and I don't suppose many, who live a little way from it, even know about it.
I wonder how many captured by the sound bite news of air pollution, jumping up and down in media induced hysteria actually alter there routes to avoid air pollution. Mrs BWW is very sensitive to air quality, but even I can feel better by being 200yds offset from the Barnet High road, with nose to tail pollution machines 4 or 5 feet away.
Now back in the mists of time our forefathers or perhaps, more than likely our foremothers, used to do little detours. Look through the wonderful collection of OS 6in/mile, any series from 1880 and you will not go many sheets before you find a footpath, running parallel to a road, but on the field side of the hedge.
Why does this phenomenon exist? Sometimes it has made it through to today's rights of way and I was once told it was due to the inaccuracy of old mapping techniques, but these old maps are very precise.
Using Google Earth I have taken a closer look at a few of these anomalies, it is clear that the field levels are higher than the road, when the road floods, ladies with leather shoes, taking a basket of eggs or pies to market would choose a dry route and this was enough to get it mapped.
Times change, but a precedent is recorded, so when I am exploring a field margin a field or two's distance from the local ratrun, air pollution is the modern equivalent of poor drainage, for a reason to detour.
Now that is an explanation likely to test the blood pressure of a few local squires