And cyclists without shiny plastic "lids" - how refreshing.
But the most interesting thing to me was the almost complete absence of pointless distracting road clutter: no redundant signage, no nannying messages, just the necessary information. Were we grown-ups in those days do you think?
WY - yes the lack of road clutter is striking. Reminds me of a road near here which was a pleasant country road thirty years ago. Still is a country road but the clutter ruins the feel of it. Dozens of signs added to a few miles of road and now some of them light up automatically.
Demetrius - and driving was a pleasure. When did that fade away?
Nostalgia - not what it was. What bothers me is the lack of obviously good ideas like crash barriers. What was the designer thinking - 'cheap as possible' or 'everyone's chauffeur will be sensible'. The new motorways also exposed what a lot of rubbishy cars and trucks we had, let alone rubbishy drivers, one thing leads to another.
Roger - it's an interesting issue the quest for both speed and safety. Things could have evolved along a more sedate path but didn't. Worth a post I think.
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Nice.
ReplyDeleteI love those wobbly old analogue instruments.
Not to mention the walnut-trimmed dashboard...
And cyclists without shiny plastic "lids" - how refreshing.
But the most interesting thing to me was the almost complete absence of pointless distracting road clutter: no redundant signage, no nannying messages, just the necessary information. Were we grown-ups in those days do you think?
Oh those cars, and a Standard 10. Not forgetting the double declutch. Who can forget?
ReplyDeleteWY - yes the lack of road clutter is striking. Reminds me of a road near here which was a pleasant country road thirty years ago. Still is a country road but the clutter ruins the feel of it. Dozens of signs added to a few miles of road and now some of them light up automatically.
ReplyDeleteDemetrius - and driving was a pleasure. When did that fade away?
Nostalgia - not what it was. What bothers me is the lack of obviously good ideas like crash barriers. What was the designer thinking - 'cheap as possible' or 'everyone's chauffeur will be sensible'. The new motorways also exposed what a lot of rubbishy cars and trucks we had, let alone rubbishy drivers, one thing leads to another.
ReplyDeleteRoger - it's an interesting issue the quest for both speed and safety. Things could have evolved along a more sedate path but didn't. Worth a post I think.
ReplyDelete