Ah, the automobile. What would we do
without it? Unfortunately, our love affair
with our set of wheels has a downside.
Today cars are blamed for everything
from global warming to funding terrorism through dependency on oil. But it wasn’t that long ago that the old gray
mare was held responsible for the social and economic ills of the world.
In 1898, delegates gathered in New
York city for the world’s first urban planning conference. The main topic was not housing, land use or economics. It was horse manure. At the time it was
feared that if something drastic wasn’t done about the problem, manure would
rise as high as third story windows.
During the late 19th
century it was estimated that New York City alone would save more than a
million dollars a year by banning horses from its streets. That’s how much it
cost to clean up the tons of manure clogging the roadways each year.
Horses were also blamed for traffic
congestion, traffic deaths, diseases and, of all things, noise pollution. Hooves clattering on cobblestones were said
to aggravate nervous systems.
Delegates to the
planning conference were unable to come up with a solution and the conference
adjourned in three days instead of the scheduled ten. The problem that stomped those delegates was
not new. Julius Caesar banned horse-drawn carts from ancient Rome during the
day in an effort to curb congestion and other problems. Even Benjamin Franklin complained
about the “thundering of coaches, chariots,
chaises, waggons, drays and the whole fraternity of noise”
that assailed the ears of Philadelphians.
At first it seemed like
the railroad would solve the horse problem, but it only made matters
worse. Goods transported by rail had to
be picked up and distributed locally, and that required even more horses.
Accidents were
common. Two hundred deaths were recorded
in New York in 1900 due to horses. That’s
seventy-five percent more traffic deaths per capita than was recorded in 2013.
There was also the cost
of feeding horses. A single horse consumed the product of five acres of land
each year, enough to feed six to eight people. It was estimated that fifteen
million acres was required to feed the entire horse population in the 1800s.
Hard as it is to
imagine, the automobile was originally hailed as the savior. It was thought
that it would make the
world a safer, saner, quieter and healthier place. It was also hailed as being
more economical.
Today, automobiles share
the blame for global warming, the rise in obesity, social isolation and urban
sprawl. Engine noise can supposedly
cause headaches, hearing losses and that old bugaboo; nervous disorders. Automobiles
are also blamed for our crumbling infrastructure.
The next so-called “savior”
is now thought to be the new driverless cars. We’re told that these cars will
eliminate traffic jams (no rubber-necking), lower fuel costs through
efficiency, and virtually do away with accidents.
So what do you
think? Will the new robot cars live up
to their hype? Or will the law of
unintended consequences send more problems our way?
Coming in November: Left at the Altar
Welcome
to Two-Time Texas:
Where
tempers burn hot
Love
runs deep
And a
single marriage can unite a feuding town
…or
tear it apart for good
I never really considered how much manure would have been left behind in bigger cities. Three stories high? Wow. I can't imagine what it must have smelled like in the summer. As for robo cars, I guess I'll wait and see. It's hard to imagine a driver-less car.
ReplyDeleteHi Vickie,yes, it is hard to imagine what those Victorians had to contend with. As for driver-less cars, they're already here to some extent. I recently had occasion to ride in a friend's new car. It stopped when she backed up to avoid hitting another car. And when traffic slowed up, her car automatically adjusted its speed.
DeleteGreat post, Margaret. Shows that the grass is always greener, so to speak. We think of the "good old days" but they had their own set of problems. Love the pics!
ReplyDeleteHi Linore,so true. The grass always does seem greener on the other side.
DeleteThank you for stopping by.