Originally Posted by
kickstart
I don't question that there were special interest groups throwing about their two cents, just their actual influence on how it effected the world of transportation as it exists today.
Special interest groups come into being to represent those who are being excluded from the will of the majority, or to discredit the efforts of those who try to force their will on the majority.
The will of the majority determined the evolution of transportation, while the disenfranchised and opportunists published opinions..
But most times, the majority opinion started out as a special interest opinion. For example, at one time, car owners were a minority and worked as a special interest group to push governments into making changes that were favorable to car owners. One interpretation is that the car owners' efforts were successful-- and changes they pushed through eventually made it possible for car owners to grow from a minority special interest group into a majority.