There have been harsh but successful attempts to clamp down on smoking, crime and motorway speeding.
Now copies of Gomorrah are piled up for sale at every bookshop and motorway service station.
Swishing below, all but invisible from the park and motorway above, is the Los Angeles river.
It lies near the geographic centre of England, at the crossing points of the national railway and motorway systems.
However, the rural roads and motorway sprint on the test route were perhaps a little unfair for what is more of a city runabout.
The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents forecourt operators and motorway service outlets, said wholesale prices had already risen by 5p a litre since Christmas.
The county borough has excellent rail and motorway connections with London, southeastern England, the Midlands, and northern England, as well as with other parts of southern Wales.
The less photogenic sections, making up the majority of the original wall, were crushed and used for road and motorway construction.
I was at railway stations and motorway service stations a lot and would buy a triple-decker sandwich, muffin and bag of crisps – instant gratification, really.
Other knock-on effects might include a change in airline passenger rights, more expensive fuel and motorway toll prices, and limits on duty free.
As for the journey, we would drive, spending around £200 on the Eurotunnel crossing and £300 on petrol and motorway tolls.
