🔬 Science Apr 3, 2026 · Bill Gourgey

In 1871, cities almost got moving sidewalks. Why are we still waiting?

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In 1871, cities almost got moving sidewalks. Why are we still waiting?
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In 1872, New York City’s Broadway was a slow-moving snarl of horses, wagons, and pedestrians, all competing along the same well-worn corridor. Alfred Speer, a merchant known around town as “The Wine Man,” believed the congestion outside his Broadway wine shop, across the street from City Hall, was costing him customers. Speer’s solution was not modest: He proposed an elevated sidewalk, running the length of Broadway, moving constantly at 10 miles per hour, with settees for riders who wanted to s

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