Gridlock (novel) the inventor of a hydrogen-based power system for cars – green energy – that sinister forces, most likely representing the oil industry, seek to suppress. His disability is aggressive-sympathetically handled, for example he actively embraces the word 'spastic', claiming it back, taking it away from the term of abuse it had become (in the UK) at the time of publication. Gridlock (novel) Gridlock is a 1991 novel by Ben Elton. The novel depicts a near-future London in which traffic congestion has reached almost critical levels, such that accidents in a few key places could bring the entire city's traffic network
Gridlock (Doctor Who) remarked that "Gridlock" displayed Davies' tendency to write about "topical" issues; it is set in a dark dystopian future, but is also a satire on the common traffic jam. While the story is bleak, Davies showed how the Doctor transforms the place by literally opening up the sky and bringing in light. Davies also used hymns to signify hope and a togetherness of the members of the Motorway. Those on the Motorway sing "The Old Rugged Cross", and the hymn heard at the end of the episode is "Abide with Me". The episode also displays the Doctor's growing attachment to