J. Frank and Charles Duryea designed the first American automobile in 1893, and for a long time cars were considered a luxury for the upper class; then Ransom E. Old created the Oldsmobile, making cars available to the middle class. He sold them at $650- about $16,000 today- making them cheap and accessible. Car makers were faced with the dilemma of balancing the quality of the car and its price. They had to figure out a way to make a car with materials they could afford to sell for price that would create enough revenue to keep their business afloat. The car industry grew immensely, and by 1913 the United States produced 485,000 of 600,000 vehicles produced in the world. By 1920, cars were supremely important to the petroleum industry and …show more content…
At first cars were a luxury for the upper class, before they became popular among the middle class. Although the upper class [finish sentence fam], the middle class were the ones who made cars such a [important part of (pinnacle?? use that somewhere)] the Roaring Twenties. Through that popularization, cars became cheaper as well as more accessible. This created mobility on a larger scale than before, giving people more opportunities. Cars gave those living in the country access to jobs in the city. Previous to the popularization of cars, people either lived in the city and worked there or lived in the country and worked there. There weren’t in-betweens, until cars gave people a fast and easy way to transport themselves between home and work. With cars, there was a smaller gap between rural and urban life. This new [league,??] of commuters led to the building of highways, better roads, and an increase in jobs. Highways and roads mean the creation of businesses and jobs, including but not limited to: fast food restaurants, highway construction, state patrol, convenience stores, gas stations, auto repairs shops, and …show more content…
People experienced traffic jams for the first time, and there were (of course) sharp increases in both accidents and fatalities due to automobiles. These increases meant putting in place licensure and safety measures. From the availability or location of spaces, congestion, and competition for land, parking became a problem very quickly. Individual motorists, merchants, property owners, commercial fleets, taxis, and mass transit all needed parking. The fact that before 1903, there were no traffic rules in America did not help that cause. The Bronx River Parkway first opened in 1906, and it was the first highway designed expressly for the use of cars. In 1914, Cleveland installed permanent traffic lights and in 1917, Detroit adds a yellow caution light. The increase [syn] in cars meant an increase in the building of roads. However, building roads damaged both animal and human habitats. Oil, grease, asphalt, rubber from tires, sand, and salt, all contribute to “nonpoint