A UK site "Streets before cars"
http://www.zing.icom43.net/streets/index.html
"At the beginning of the 20th century, before the massive proliferation of cars, most roads were traditionally freely available to all. They were truly public roads, as the following pictures clearly demonstrate."
On a similar theme I've seen some amazing images of pre-car Melbourne. The sheer amount of ped traffic in the city was incredible, although that was probably directly due to different population density, employment etc. Also who has seen pictures of the 1923 police strike?
http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an24616971
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1923_Victorian_Police_strike
Continuing on with the "ye olden times" theme, Peter Tutty recently sent this fascinating email to the OzPushies list, about Elizabeth Street's "mile of bikes". 😉
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ozpushies/
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Quoted post said:I've done a little more research, Finlay Bros, the makers of the Barb cycle were at 322 Elizabeth St, Melbourne.
It's interesting to think that in say 1933, a cyclist could take a wander up Elizabeth St from say Flinders St Rail Station and visit at:
213 Elizabeth St : Holland Cycles
231 Elizabeth st : The League of Victorian Wheelmen office for Race entries etc
283-285 Elizabeth St : Malvern Star/Bruce Small P/L
301 Elizabeth St : Standard Cycles
322 Elizabeth St : Finlay Bros (Barb)
329-331 Elizabeth St : Flyer Cycles.Intersecting and parallel streets such as Flinders, Bourke and Swanston also had cycle shops, by my reckoning there might have been at least 15, possibly more cycle shops in what today would be called the Melbourne CBD.
PS, in 1947 Avrom Star Cycles was at 229 Elizabeth St, and today of course Cecil Walker Cycles remains at 395 Elizabeth St, the sole bike shop on what must have been a 'mile of bikes - in the day'.