wheel

I wrote this essay and would like feed back on it. Yes the book Traffic inspired me.
2 pages
Have you ever sat in traffic and thought to yourself what really is traffic all about? Traffic can be defined as the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time. Politicians and administrators dictate traffic through forms of policy and law. The engineers then create traffic patterns based on these policies and laws. In the end road users, become the traffic patterns based on use, and by politicians and engineers in how they will shape traffic. The road user also inputs to the politicians on how they want to be represented as traffic. In the end result, the majority wins, and minorities loose, even if they solve the problems the majority of traffic will create.
The ultimate goal in traffic is cohesive cooperation through human interaction. This provides safety and efficiency in one package, which accommodates all road users. This goal isn’t directly advantageous for a single road user, nor should it be. Stoplights will allow one traffic pattern to flow while making another traffic pattern stop and wait. The goal in traffic is forgotten in today’s society. Speed has replaced human interaction with mechanical negotiations. Leaders are nonexistent, and most people don’t want to contribute unless there is an incentive or direct benefit for them.

gerv 

Wheel, I was a little confused as to who your audience was. If you were talking to a group of cyclists, I would have expected more cycling examples.

If a general audience, I would have expected a little spiel on the history of traffic... what it would have meant in 1920 and how our concept has changed.

I'd give you a B.

[Man...I apologize... I think I was an English major in my last lifetime.]

wheel

Interesting concept.
To add what it was like and the now like.

Do you know the differences?

I wonder which time period would best suite that angle.
Maybe 1908 as the car revolution took off?

coffeecake

Are you writing this for a class or for your own purposes?

gerv 

I am sure there are a lot of resources that could help you point this out. There are a number of YouTube videos I have seen (and were linked from BF...) that showed traffic at the turn of the century. Even in large cities, folks walked in the middle of the street. Horse and buggy or the newfangled bicycle had to maneuver around them.

Roody

Marseille


Auray, France


Paris


Hundreds of similar pre-car scenes from around the world:
https://www.carfree.com/design/index.html

coffeecake

I think the Life photo archives are on Google now too. Good way to waste a couple hours. https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/life-photo-archive-available-on-google.html

wheel

Neat thank you I am doing this for a class project that was my rough draft. I also could use today's examples like times square. hmmm time for some research.

wahoonc

I will have to dig for it, but there is a blog/treatise on the degradation of Park Avenue in NYC over the years. It actually was a park at one time.

Aaron

gerv 

Driving in New York 1928



23rd STreet NYC 1901 (note the width of the sidewalk)

wheel

Yea I think after 1909 a shift in speed started to happen and I think that makes all the difference in the world. Maybe show how it was like before cars and then emrgeance of going back to no cars.

skuz

I'm curious, what grade is this class?

Dahon.Steve

Interesting to see New York City at the turn of the century. Those stunts were done with the camera rolling at high speed but those poor horses was quite sad.

I still think it's going to look like that in about another 100 years from now.