[sustran] Re: question

[Craig Townsend]

Hi Matthias,

The case of streetcars in LA is of course highly debated. Those who dispute 
the role of a "road lobby" or "automobile interests" in the decline of 
streetcars in America include:

Richmond, Jonathan. 1998. “The Mythical Conception of Rail Transit in Los 
Angeles.” Journal of Architectural and Planning Research . v.15, n.4:294-320.

Slater, Cliff. 1997. “General Motors and the Demise of Streetcars.” 
Transportation Quarterly 51:45-66. 
(Note that this article which was not particularly rigorous preceded an 
excellent exchange the followed in the next issue of Transportation Quarterly, 
to which Jean Michel refers.)

Wachs, Martin. 1996. “The Evolution of Transportation Policy in Los Angeles: 
Images of Past Policies and Future Prospects.” Pp. 106-159 in The City: Los 
Angeles and Urban Theory at the End of the Twentieth Century, edited by Allen 
J. Scott and Edward W. Soja. Berkeley: University of California Press.

If my memory is correct, the following book (which was one of the first to 
systematically identify a "great web of automotive interests" in the USA) 
includes reprints of some key documents from the anti-trust suit filed by the 
US government against GM over the streetcar case:

Taebel, Delbert A., and James V. Cornehls. 1977. The Political Economy of 
Urban Transportation. London: Kennikat Press. 

Best wishes,

Craig
Vancouver, Canada

Quoting matthias mueth <matthias_mueth at hotmail.com>:

> 
> dear sustran-discuss members,
> vaguely i do remember something about an us-american city, where the
> (rail-based) public transport systems were bought up by the automotive
> industries, to be demolished, in order to push car-sales...
> can anybody tell, whether this holds true or is a rumour, which city this
> was, and whether there is any quotable information on this(bibliographical
> notes)??? 
> thank you very much.
> best regards,
> matthias mueth
> hamburg/germany
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