
How cyclists, not drivers, first fought to pave US roads - samclemens
http://www.vox.com/2015/3/19/8253035/roads-cyclists-cars-history
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antr
A few months ago I attended a conference where they spoke very clearly about
how the automobile industry, in the early 1900's, used marketing to make roads
their own.

Here is the talk:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHA4xN1dEkM&t=2m8s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHA4xN1dEkM&t=2m8s)

and this part of the interview:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyT8AUn3cuU&t=10m30s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyT8AUn3cuU&t=10m30s)

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Gifford
99pi did a story recently on how the auto industry fabricated the crime of
"jaywalking" to get people out of the streets and seize the streets for cars.

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antr
correct, in the above talk they mention the origins of "jaywalking". i found
it fascinating.

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malbs
not just in the US - from the stuff I've read (and I can't cite anything),
here in Australia the roads were originally sealed to improve cycling
conditions!

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BrentSkillhd
Very interesting. Who woulda thought!

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innguest
So cyclists started raising money for roads in the 1900s from private
individuals ("Pope [...] and other special interest groups"), private
companies ("asphalt manufacturers") and 16 years later when it was too late,
the government passed some bill to give themselves credit for funding the
roads by saying they would match state contributions.

And now everyone thinks if it weren't for the government we couldn't have
roads.

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joshuapants
You could have roads without the government, you'd be unlikely to have an
effective interstate highway system without it. Or something like the Garden
State Parkway.

