When Traffic Jams Were Good

In 1939 LIFE magazine did a story on Detroit, almost exulting in its traffic jams. 

Gen Yer Connor Nelson was in Detroit last month and sent this picture and note: "I found this card very humorous while seeing the state of Detroit today.  I witnessed a dedicated community working to restore Detroit while there. But something definitely did stop Detroit and it was the Internet. I read your book while in Detroit. I bought this card. The description on the back sounds like an excerpt from Nine Shift." 

In 1939 LIFE wrote, "Detroit is a restive, anxious, dynamic place, so tightly geared to the auto industry that it has become the biggest purely industrial metropolis in the country. At 5:15 pm you can almost hop across the street on the tops of the cars frozen in the traffic tie-up."  

Traffic in 1939 meant progress.

Comments

[David Lubic]

It's a fun commercial, but I have to ask--will a new car make you a better card player?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fakTNw56mw8&feature=youtu.be&list=PLAEESfiI93W8ZnpnDwINty02udDss3hLf

[David Lubic]

Don't know if this will post properly or not (Twitter was having problems when I brought this here), but the graphic shows the younger crowd taking transit instead of driving.

https://twitter.com/yfreemark/status/632215849223323649?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=steveporter1967&utm_content=633329226779860992

[D]

I predict traffic jams are being obsoleted by the maturation of information and communications technology that disintermediates time and distance from knowledge work.

http://www.lastrushhour.com/

http://my.bookbaby.com/book/last-rush-hour