Review: Roads Were Not Built for Cars
Carlton Reid has done some impressive research into the relationship of bicycles and modern transport infrastructure. It is a surprisingly rich relationship. The first automobiles adopted the power chain and wheel technologies from bicycles (as did aircraft as well, of course). Beyond that, bicycles were a driving force behind paving roads across the US and Europe. Roads Were Not Built For Cars is Reid’s presentation of this.
He does an excellent job of research, but his presentation didn’t bring the situation to life for me. It’s unfortunate, because the facts at issue interest me considerably. Reid presents both facts and conjecture that are surprising – did Nazi Germany whitewash England’s cycling contributions to automotive technology for political reasons? – but if he shaped it all into a narrative, I didn’t make it there. I didn’t finish the whole thing.