The absolutely incredible number of jay-walkers, drivers who saw fit to drive on the wrong side of the street, and drivers who chose to cross directly in front of oncoming traffic, makes me wonder about the people who currently yearn for “The Good Old Days”, and those who decry all government regulations:
Pretty apathetic bunch. Hardly anyone is looking at what may be about to run them over.
I’d bet Jaywalking wasn’t even illegal in 1906 in San Fran.
Not to mention the horse dung all that traffic - foot, hoove and tires - that is getting tossed into the air to breath.
That was a HUGE problem in every major city - horse manure - and getting rid of it. The car was seen as a bit of a savior for that reason.
Absolutely!
I can’t find any stats regarding San Francisco, but in NYC at the turn of the century, the city had to dispose of 1,200 tons of horse manure DAILY! Obviously, not all of it was swept-up and disposed of, and the population of disease-spreading flies became really problematic.
Clearly, nobody was very concerned with automotive exhaust pollution in those days, but the advent of the automobile was widely viewed as an aid to public health because it resulted in much less manure on the streets.