Wagon Tracks

Wagon Tracks


Wagon tracks are simply ruts in which wheels have revolved. Since the ancient world wagons have made and followed paths of least resistance across many uncharted, rugged terrains. Over time, other drivers saw the ruts and put their wagons in these selfsame grooves. Eventually many networks of wagon tracks developed from place to place, all of which belonged to the travelling global community at large. Examples abound in the USA, as the result of the westward movement of a young country fulfilling its manifest destiny. Downtown Boston streets were not engineered by some surveyor or city planning commission but by area farmers driving wagons filled with freshly harvested produce and with cows needing green grass to graze. It's why Boston Streets are narrow, winding and nearly impossible to navigate and why Boston Commons were preserved.

So which came first... these ruts born of necessity or the habitual nature of human behavior or the pristine herd instinct and subliminal tendency to follow the crowd? Your views?


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I don't have original sources, but I understand that the US highway system is designed for lanes to be a certain width based on the standard axle width of automobiles, which is based on the standard width of the wagons, which were based on the imported axles from England and Europe, which were based on the standard width of roads there, which were based on the standard width of Roman chariots, which were based on the standard width of two horses asses.

Thus, it seems that a couple of horses asses got together around 2000 years ago and set the direction for civilization.

Still, we see the buggy trails from the lunar lander and, if it's true, I understand we can still see the WWII tracks from the German tanks in North Africa.

I'd say that we need to know where we came from to know where we are and where we are going.

We need you here Grampy Bobby. Please keep prodding our minds souls.

Originally posted by coquette

I don't have original sources, but I understand that the US highway system is designed for lanes to be a certain width based on the standard axle width of automobiles, which is based on the standard width of the wagons, which were based on the imported axles from England and Europe, which were based on the standard width of roads there, which were based on the standard width of two horses asses.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Amazing. LOL. Somewhere I once read that transcontinental railroad tracks played some kind of similar role.


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Originally posted by coquette
yeah, i think that was a part it, if not the real story. i'm not sure, but the idea is the same and i bet it's true!

Originally posted by coquette
I don't have original sources, but I understand that the US highway system is designed for lanes to be a certain width based on the standard axle width of automobiles, which is based on the standard width of the wagons, which were based on the imported axles from England and Europe, which were based on the standard width of roads there, which were based on ...[text shortened]... uple of horses asses got together around 2000 years ago and set the direction for civilization.

"wagons have made and followed paths of least resistance" ?

So wagons never broke a wheel, or cracked or shattered, as the path was easy?

I think me not.

-m.

Originally posted by coquette
I don't have original sources, but I understand that the US highway system is designed for lanes to be a certain width based on the standard axle width of automobiles, which is based on the standard width of the wagons, which were based on the imported axles from England and Europe, which were based on the standard width of roads there, which were based on ...[text shortened]... d where we are going.

We need you here Grampy Bobby. Please keep prodding our minds souls.

Originally posted by mikelom

"wagons have made and followed paths of least resistance" ?

So wagons never broke a wheel, or cracked or shattered, as the path was easy?

I think me not.

-m.

Inadvertent duplication. Sorry.