1 Transportation Vehicles & Society. 2 Overview Pre-1600 –Primitive transport 1600-1800 –Rise of the horse 1800-1900 –Rail, steam, electricity 1900-1950.

1

Transportation Vehicles & Society

2

Overview

• Pre-1600– Primitive transport

• 1600-1800– Rise of the horse

• 1800-1900– Rail, steam, electricity

• 1900-1950– Rise of the automobile

• 1950-present– Freeways, containers &

air

• Major themes– Time– Economics– Accessibility

3

Pre-1600: Primitive Transport• Primary modes of transport

– Foot– Cart– Horse

• Pre-industrial cities– Few open spaces– Inverse class segregation from today

4

Firenze, Italy

5

1600 – 1800: Rise of the Horse

• Additional transport modes:– Carriage– Wagon

• Major issues– More mobility– More safety issues– More pollution

6

Major Events1603 Wooden rails used in coal mines1605 Hackney carriage introduced in England

1670 Tempered steel springs for coaches

1690 Rim brakes for coaches

1699 Parkway introduced in Virginia

1625 First street paving in North America

1712 First steam engine

1767 First iron rails in use

1769 Iron hoop tire developed

1800 Canada requires convicted drunks to work on roads

8

Intracity Transport

• Horse power dominates• Charging for rides

– Hackney coaches (hacks)– Cabriolet (cab) and hansom carriages– Omnibus (1820s)– Expensive: $0.25/mile

9Frank La Roche Photograph Collection

UW Digital Collections

Omnibus on North Beach Peninsula, WA (ca. 1892)

Greenlake Ave. N & 85th St. N

11

1600 – 1800: State of Transport

Commuting Speed 30-Min. Commute

Accessible Land

Walk 2 mph 1 miles 4 sq. miles

Carriage 4 mph 2 miles 12 sq. miles

Travel/Freight Speed 1-Day Travel Comments

Walk 2 mph 24 miles A necessity

Wagon 4 mph 48 miles

Sailing ship 10 mph 250 miles Relies on wind

12

1800 – 1900: Rail, Steam & Electricity

• Additional transport modes:– Steam powered vehicles– Cable cars– Electric trolley

• Major issues– Steam power– Safety (higher speeds, steam power)– Suburbanization

13

Major Events1804 Elliptical springs invented1807 First horse-drawn passenger railway

1815 First steerable bicycle

1839 Goodyear vulcanizes rubber

1852 First trolley with flush rails

1814 First steam powered ferry

1862 First practical IC powered vehicle

1879 Electric trolley invented

1888 Pneumatic tire

1872 Cable car system invented

1891 First IC truck1896 First car accident in the U.S.

1825 First steam railway for passengers

14

The “Pull” of RailSurface Type Pull-to-Weight

Ratio

Sand, deep and loose 1/7

Dry earth, gravel on earth 1/15

Macadam, badly worn or little used 1/20

Broken stone on earth, cobblestones 1/35

Solid rubber wheels on reasonable surfaces 1/45

Broken stone on paved foundation, asphalt, wood

1/50

Pneumatic tire on reasonable surfaces 1/60

Well-made pavement, dry macadam 1/70

Brick 1/90

Best pavement 1/180

Steel plate or stone trackway 1/250

From M.G. Lay, Ways of the World (1992)

15

Focus: Pavements

Seattle Photograph Collection, UW Digital Collections

Washington Localities Collection, UW Digital Collections

Dirt Road Olympic Peninsula (ca. 1924)

UW Digital Collections

Muddy Dirt Road County Road near Index, WA (1911)

Cobblestone RoadE Republican St., Seattle

19

Macadam

21 Asahel Curtis Photo Company Collection, UW Digital Collections

Plank RoadFront St., Port Angeles (1914)

22From the City of Sydney's Sydney Streets exhibition (www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history/SydneyStreets)

Woodblock PavingMacquarie St., Sydney, Australia (1925)

23 Seattle Photograph Collection, UW Digital Collections

Brick RoadJames St. from 4th Ave., Seattle (ca. 1922)


Woodblock Paving Overlaid with Hot Mix AsphaltPark St., Sydney, Australia (1929)

25 Industries and Occupations Photographs, UW Digital Collections

Warrenite PavementBothell Rd. (1912)

26 Industries and Occupations Photographs, UW Digital Collections

Warrenite PavementBothell Rd. (1912)

28

Asphalt

Brick/Concrete

Granite Block

WoodMacadam/GravelCobblestone

Other

Unpaved

%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930

Year

Per

cen

tag

eTypes of Pavement in Major U.S. Cities

From Clay McShane, Down the Asphalt Path, the Automobile and the American City (1994)

30

Steam Vehicles

• First tried on vehicles in 1830s– Many cities prohibited due to high speeds

and boiler explosion fears• Relegated to separate ROW for safety

– Gave rise to Elevated (“Els”) in 1860s• Steam vehicles associated with rail in

U.S.• Commuter rail (1830s – 1900s)

– Creates “suburbs” around rail lines– Grooved rail

De Dion-Bouton Steam Car (ca. 1890)

32From Discover Live Steam (www.discoverlivesteam.com)

Ally “L” on Indiana Ave. stopChicago (n.d.)

33Photo from Brian Doberstein, photos.abberation.org

Horse Drawn Trolley 1st Ave. and James St. (1884)

Seattle Photograph CollectionUW Digital Collections

35

Focus: the Trouble with Horses

• Lots of horses– 1 per 23 people (in large cities)– Teamsters 328% (1870 – 1900)

• Filthy– NYC sanitation removed 15,000 carcasses

annually in the 1880s– Each horse dropped 10 – 20 lbs of manure

daily– NYC manure 800,000 to 1,300,000 lbs daily

(150,000 tons annually)– NYC Central Park stable had a 30,000 ft3 pile of

manure next to it

36

Focus: the Trouble with Horses

• Unhealthy– Tuberculosis (TB) leading cause of death in the

1890s– TB death rate as number of autos

(probable correlation with horse filth/dust)• Expensive

– $1,200 for a tandem in 1850– Freight costs:

• Chicago to NYC = $7.50/ton (railroads)• NYC local delivery = $5.00/ton (horse power)

• Dangerous– Traffic fatalities were higher for wagons and

carriages than for streetcars


Block Boys and Horse ManurePitt St., Sydney, Australia (n.d.)

38From Clay McShane’s Down the Asphalt Path, The Automobile and the American City (1994)

Asahel Curtis Photo Company CollectionUW Digital Collections

Cable Car on Viaduct in front of Power HouseNear Yesler Wy. (ca. 1910)

Electric TrolleySeattle Consolidated Street Railway Co., Green Lake Line (1891)


41

Contemporary Electric TrolleyKing County Metro (2005)

42

Trolley Track TiesUniversity Ave. (2002)

43

1800-1900: State of TransportCommuting Speed 30-Min.

CommuteAccessible Land


Omnibus 4 mph 2 miles 12 sq. miles

Horse Car 6 mph 3 miles 28 sq. miles

Cable Car 10 mph 5 miles 78 sq. miles

Electric Trolley

12 mph 6 miles 113 sq. miles


Walk 2 mph 24 miles Still a necessity

Wagon 4 mph 48 miles Being phased out

Steam ship 15 mph 300 miles 5-day Atlantic crossing

Railroad 20 mph 300 miles Principal long-distance

44

1900 – 1950: Rise of the Automobile

• Additional transport modes:– Internal combustion automobile

• Major issues– Affordability– Independence

45

Major Events1902 First mass-produced car (Oldsmobile)

1906 First gas station opened

1912 Fist pneumatic truck tire

1929 Autobahn construction begins (Germany)

1921 Autostrada construction begins (Italy)

1908 Model T Ford begins production

1932 First drive-in movie

1911 Electric starters begin common use

1922 Pneumatic tire begins common use

1944 Interstate highway system first recommended

1920 Motor vehicles = horse-drawn vehicles in U.S.

1914 Fist scheduled air transport (St. Petersburg-Tampa)

1903 First flight

46

Major Issues Shaping the Auto

• Low population densities• Pavements• Prejudice against fast vehicles wanes• Unresponsiveness & monopolistic trolleys• Influence of the bicycle• Social demand

– New middle class status symbol– Allows for suburban living

• Pollution

47

Development of the American Car

Year

Event Registered Cars

Adults/Car

1900

Forward engine, steering wheel 8,000 -

1905

Shocks, acetylene headlights 77,000 -

1908

Model T Ford, steering wheel on left

194,000 -

1911

Electric starters 619,000 44

1912

Windshields common 944,000 -

1915

1st all-steel body 2,332,000 10

1922

Pneumatic tires 10,448,000 3

1925

Bumpers are standard 17,481,000 1.6

1926

Heating, safety glass - 1.5

1930

- 22,800,000 1.3

48

Cost (Model T)

$0

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

1908 1910 1912 1914 1916Year

Mo

del

T P

rice

Price

Sales

400,000

100,000

200,000

300,000

Mo

del

T’s

So

ld p

er Y

ear

49

Values Associated with Autos

• Independence• Freedom• Status• Liberation• Strength• Reliability• Conquest• Romance

1919 Ford Touring Sedan 1914 Ford Model T

1920 Studebaker Six Touring 1929 Packard Phaeton

1929 Dodge Brothers Brougham 1929 Fisher Body

1939 Studebaker 1946 Ford Convertible

1947 Studebaker

56

1900-1950: State of TransportCommuting Speed 30-Min.






Electric Trolley


Automobile 30 mph 15 miles 706 sq. miles


Walk 2 mph 24 miles Still necessary

Wagon 4 mph 48 miles Phasing out

Steam Ship 15 mph 300 miles Overseas transport

Railroad 60 mph 1000 miles Passenger & freight

Automobile 40 mph 350 miles Some highways

Airplane 200 mph

4000 miles Still expensive

57

1950+: Freeways, Containers & Air

• Additional transport modes:– Freight trucking– Container shipping– Air

• Major issues– Mobility– Speed– Cost– Environmental justice

58

Major Events

1973 Federal Express opens for business

1975 Original design year for Interstates

1955 Shipping containers first used

1978 Airline deregulation

1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act

1993 Interstate Highway system finished (I-105, Century Freeway in LA)

1958 Boeing 707-120 enters service for Pan Am (1st commercial jet liner)


Lake Washington Blvd. (n.d.)

60

61

Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway)

62

Intercity Travel

• Intercity Travel– Initial impetus for limited access

highways– Jobs program (Autobahn, Interstate)– Connect major urban areas and states– Defense

• Intracity travel– Not an original reason for Interstates– 20% of Interstate mileage in urban areas– Still somewhat uniquely American

63

Seattle

64

Vancouver

65

Santa Monica and Harbor Freeway Interchange, Los Angeles

66

Chicago Circle (I-90, I-290), Chicago

67

Mousetrap (I-70, I-25), Denver

68

The Stack (US 101, CA-110), Los Angeles

69

Spaghetti Bowl (US 95,I-15, I-515), Las Vegas

1950s Plan for Seattle freeways

71

Freeway Revolts

• Boston• New Orleans• San Francisco

72

Trucking

40.0%

74.3% ($6.2 trillion)

67.2% (7.8 billion)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Value

Tons

Ton-Miles

Cat

ego

ry

Percent

Truck

Rail

Water

Air

Pipeline

Multiple modes

Other and unknown modes

Freight Movement in the U.S.

73 From the U.S. DOT Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Study (2000)

Truck Flow on the National Highway System

74

Photo from Frasier River Port, Vancouver, B.C.

75

Container Freight

• 95% of world cargo volume moves by ship

• 1955: Modern container invented • Containers

– 1972: 6.3 million TEU– 1997: 163 million TEU– 2003: 220 million TEU

• Cost of shipping: 1% of total cost of goods

76

77

Air Travel

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Year

En

pla

nem

ents

(m

illio

ns)

78

1950+: State of TransportCommuting Speed 30-Min.






Electric Trolley


Automobile 60 mph 30 miles 2800 sq. miles


Walk 2 mph 24 miles Reclassified “exercise”

Wagon 4 mph 48 miles Not Available

Gas Turb. Ship 15 mph 300 miles Cruise ships

Railroad 60 mph 1000 miles Principally freight

Automobile 70 mph 500 miles Freeways

Airplane 500 mph

10000 miles Affordable

1 Transportation Vehicles & Society. 2 Overview Pre-1600 –Primitive transport 1600-1800 –Rise of the horse 1800-1900 –Rail, steam, electricity 1900-1950.

Documents

seattle slide

macadam slide

mile slide

pollution slide

detroit slide

roads slide

wind slide

uw digital collections