Zack Furness - One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility

TEMplE UnivErSiTy prESS pHilaDElpHia

Zack Furness is assistant professor of Cultural Studies at Columbia College Chicago and a member of the Bad Subjects Collective.

TEMplE UnivErSiTy prESS philadelphia, pennsylvania

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Copyright 2010 by Temple University all rights reserved published 2010

Text design by Matthew plourde

library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data Furness, Zachary Mooradian

One less car : bicycling and the politics of automobility / Zack Furness.

p. cm. (in the series Sporting ) includes bibliographical references and index. iSBn 978-1-59213-612-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) iSBn 978-1-59213-613-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Cyclingpolitical aspectsUnited States. 2. Urban transportation policyUnited States. 3. Transportation, automotiveSocial aspects. 4. Bicycle commutingUnited States. 5. United StatesSocial life and customs. i. Title.

HE308.F87 2010 388.34720973dc22 2009048506

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The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the american national Standard for information Sciencespermanence of paper for printed library Materials, anSi Z39.48-1992

printed in the United States of america

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For Pea,Who continues to tear up my maps

Those who have swallowed the cycle will not strain long at the Automobile; and after the first decent show of apprehension has been disposed of, the obvious exhilaration and novelty of the exercise begins to exert a charm. For there is joy in going quickly and in doing no work.... It is probable that in a year or two every one will be wanting to drive without horses, and to scour the open country at sweet will in a vehicle that can match the bicycle for lightness and for speed, while saving the superfluous element of labor. In other words, there is no reason why, within a decade at most, we should not see considerable changes in our present modes of traveling.

Harry C. Marillier, The Automobile, The Eclectic Magazine of Foreig n Literature, 1895

I dont think its unpatriotic to use so much gas. Its very patriotic. Its our way of life.

Sue Smith, Chevy Tahoe owner, quoted in Neela Banerjee, Made in America, New York Times, 2001

If a man feels that he can easily afford the expense of keeping a car and enjoys its use, there is no mode of recreation which, when properly indulged in, brings in more thorough enjoyment and benefit to the entire family. The speed maniac is passing, engine breakdowns on the road are practically a thing of the past, the era of hysteria has been replaced by an era of common sense, and more and more the automobile will become a delightful and useful adjunct to our social life. Heres to its golden future! Long life to the motor car and health and happiness to its swelling army of votaries!

W. F. Dix, Motoring for People of Moderate Means, The Independent, 1911

Get off the fucking road, asshole!

Pittsburgh driver to the author, 2005