Roads Were Not Built for Cars: How Cyclists were the First to Push for Good Roads & Became the Pioneers of Motoring

"In Roads Were Not Built for Cars, Carlton Reid reveals the pivotal--and largely unrecognized--role that bicyclists played in the development of modern roadways. Reid introduces readers to cycling personalities, such as Henry Ford, and the cycling advocacy groups that influenced early road improvements, literally paving the way for the motor car. When the bicycle morphed from the vehicle of rich transport progressives in the 1890s to the "poor man's transport" in the 1920s, some cyclists became ardent motorists and were all too happy to forget their cycling roots. But, Reid explains, many motor pioneers continued cycling, celebrating the shared links between transport modes that are now seen as worlds apart. In this engaging and meticulously researched book, Carlton Reid encourages us all to celebrate those links once again."--Publisher's website. In Roads *Were Not Built for Cars*, Carlton Reid reveals the pivotal --and largely unrecognized-- role that bicyclists played in the development of modern roadways. Reid introduces readers to cycling personalities, such as Henry Ford, and the cycling advocacy groups that influenced early road improvements, literally paving the way for the motor car. When the bicycle morphed from the vehicle of rich transport progressives in the 1890s to the "poor man's transport" in the 1920s, some cyclists became ardent motorists and were all too happy to forget their cycling roots. But, Reid explains, many motor pioneers continued cycling, celebrating the shared links between transport modes that are now seen as worlds apart. In this engaging and meticulously researched book, Carlton Reid encourages us all to celebrate those links once again. Front Matter....Pages i-xxiii When Two Tribes Were One....Pages 1-7 Pioneers....Pages 8-34 Mastodons to Motorways....Pages 35-53 Who Owns the Roads?....Pages 54-79 Speed....Pages 80-95 Width....Pages 96-109 Hardtop History....Pages 110-122 “What the Bicyclist did for Roads”....Pages 123-133 “The Mecca of all Good Cyclists”....Pages 134-142 Good Roads for America....Pages 143-158 America’s Forgotten Transport Network....Pages 159-172 Pedal Power....Pages 173-182 Motoring’s Bicycling Beginnings....Pages 183-189 Without Bicycles Motoring Might Not Exist....Pages 190-242 From King of the Road to Cycle Chic....Pages 243-262 Back Matter....Pages 263-331 None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None