Roman Mars, the broadcaster/blogger at 99% Invisible (“the tiny radio show about design”), hosts an interview with Peter Norton, who explains the origins of ‘jaywalking’ and the turf war of ‘Motordom’ – a word resuscitated by North in his book, Fighting Traffic.
Norton begins by explaining this cartoon, The Modern Moloch:
On the streets of early 20th Century America, nothing moved faster than 10 miles per hour. Responsible parents would tell their children, “Go outside, and play in the streets. All day.”
And then the automobile happened. And then automobiles began killing thousands of children, every year.
.
You can go directly to the interview here:
.
Also Peter Norton over at Atlantic Cities: The Invention of Jaywalking.
