Re: Daytime running light popularity

On 11/7/2024 10:08 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 11/7/2024 8:05 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:

>
America chose the car and the interstate network as it fit the American
dream I guess? But that is a political decision than a geographical or
economic one.

 America chose the car when Fords began rolling off the line. I a person lived anywhere but in a dense city center, a car made great sense. The alternative was a horse and buggy.
 As cars became more common, more and more realized they could escape the soot-filled city centers and move out to where yards were larger, homes were much cheaper per square foot, a person could have a large garden, surroundings were quieter, etc. That's what my father did about 1960.
 At that point, I could no longer walk to school. My mother cold no longer walk to the grocery. Bus lines no longer reached our neighborhood. But my parents, like countless others, decided it was a better situation, even though it soon required having two cars.
 At that point, the idea of taking a bus became silly, and the passenger train that used to run to Cleveland became history. Why bother? The car had great advantages.
  From the viewpoint of the citizens, it was all logical.
 

No issues with that but some context maybe.
First off urban commuting is very different from interurban travel (regardless of vehicle).
Secondly, cultural trends are complex, powerful and change over time. Many of us remember when walking for most daily errands, work, shopping, school etc was primarily on foot. Trains were common for visiting another city. (urban transit excepted). Over time, men drove to work as the net cost of auto operation dropped in relation to net disposable income.   Then 'second car' became popular along with urban area dispersal (some say 'sprawl'). And so on until now, when even children seldom walk anywhere except through a mall.
Cycling has been and remains relatively unimportant and negligible in the grand scheme of things.
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971