Agree with many points that a totally segregated network is not practical in the UK. One point that we need to consider - whilst many other N.European countries followed the netherlands; the reason Britain buried it's head in the sand was that we were sheltered from the oil crisis to a degree by north sea oil & gas and therefore continued the 'predict & provide' for growth in motorised traffic.
It would be absolutely impossible for the UK to replicate this kind of change for just one simple reason - local politics. Local government does not have the power, money or political will to implement any such radical change. The political will is the most important; until local elections follow a similar pattern to national elections (i.e. only held every 4-5 years) then local councillors will continue to make decisions which are rooted in their awareness of the short term impact on their political survival. Council elections are often annual or, at the most infrequent, every two years. This is simply not conducive to strategic change.
