In most capital cities, which were built __________ (1) before the heyday of the private car, there is rarely enough __________ (2) for moving traffic, and certainly not enough for parked __________ (3). Buses move slowly because of the volume of __________ (4) thus encouraging more commuters to abandon public __________ (5). Banning traffic from some areas may help, but such a __________ (6) may not actually diminish the number of cars coming into the city. What has happened in effect is that the __________ (7) of the private car have become the number one priority, and the older functions of the city centre as meeting __________(8) and focus for social life have been lost. The new city cannot __________ (9) without a series of ring roads. Giant car parks are its new palaces and cathedrals. During the working hours of the day, there is the constant __________ (10) of traffic, but at night the centre is almost empty, apart from a few homeless in doorways. Most people have __________ (11) back to the suburbs, and very few of those who live in the centre have cars, for often there is nowhere to park them. The old city, with its narrow streets, may still retain a lively __________ (12) but that may be because it exists as an island, where no cars are __________(13). Unless the local authorities have not yet plucked up the courage to __________ (14) most traffic from the streets, in which case the city centre is __________ (15) by day, and a gigantic car park at night.