The Travellers lifestyle is not a matter of choice, it is a circumstance of birth – that is the world into which they were born and in which they function best. There is no practical reason why it should change.
It is economically more efficient to provide stopping places for twenty families and maintain the existence they have been born into than to house them into a life that is totally alien to them. That is the way to integrate them into modern society.
Socially, ending their lifestyle and forcibly housing them will (and does) create so many problems in terms of mental and physical health and ones of social behaviour and adaptability as to be an enormous drain on public resources.
Culturally, it would put paid to the close-knit family structure that exists among Travellers. Traveller families in general tend to be closer and more self-supportive units than their settled equivalent.
Ethically, this form of social engineering is both immoral and unacceptable in the civilized society to which I believe we still belong.
The ludicrous thing about all this is that it is totally unnecessary. Travellers, given the basic conditions of human existence, are perfectly capable of functioning on the road. I have seen families survive and prosper on well planned sites which provide the basic necessities of life (ie – running water, sanitation, and surroundings that can be kept clean and comfortable). Occupants I have met on such sites have all, without exception, become integrated members of the surrounding communities.
The only reason for forcibly ending Travelling life is to satisfy the prejudices of those who either disapprove or fail to understand people whose lifestyle is different from their own. If these prejudices were to be aimed towards other groups such as Moslems, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, West Indians, etc. they would be unacceptable, and even illegal. It seems that when applied to Travellers they are not only acceptable, but widespread.
As a taxpayer, I may never use the National Health Service, the Public Library, public transport, swimming baths, the opera, the theatre etc. I have no children so personally I have no use for schools. I have never been unemployed so I have never received unemployment benefit. Having said this, not only am I perfectly happy that my taxes are spent on maintaining these things, but would be extremely unhappy if they weren't. I would extend this to the support of minorities such as Travellers, asylum seekers, the disabled etc. because this is what makes for a civilied society.
I wonder how you feel about the huge sums that were poured into the ex mining communities so that the people living in them could rebuild rather than abandon their roots. Was this money spent maintaining a romantic myth?
I would be grateful if you didn't brand me as a romantic. My interest in Travellers musical and oral traditions has nothing whatever to do with how I feel we should view to them as human beings; it was merely how I came in contact with them in the first place.   
Jim Carroll