Closing address

Most of us suffer from an inability to remember funny jokes. Still worse is an aptitude for remembering jokes which are not funny. One such unfunny joke which haunts my memory is of a much married couple sitting at breakfast. He peers over his newspaper and pontificates: 'We are living in a period of grave transition1 and the wife replies, T... and ITve hardly a rag to put on'. That story is apt to our conference. We are living in times of great change and we at

the conference are parading the rags we have to

see us on our way through these changing times. And just as our lady undoubtedly has a wardrobe full of clothes, so our armoury of techniques is fairly formidable. The Institution of Civil Engineers and the Commission for European Communities are to be congratulated for promoting this forum at which we can parade and review our techniques of planning highway investment.