Moving sidewalk proposed in New York CityIn 1873, the idea of a "travelling sidewalk" for rapid transit along Broadway in New York City was printed in theNew York Times. Its inventor proposed to build two sidewalks, one in each direction, continually moving at 19 mph. How pedestrians would embark or disembark was not disclosed, although reportedly, the inventor had a satisfactory solution. The article continued with whimsical predictions of a traveller's experience. In fact, it was never built. In 1893, however, a moving sidewalk was successfully installed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago to move people from place to place in the fairgrounds. It had two parallel platforms, the first moved at 3 mph. Riders could then step onto a 6 mph conveyor. There was a moving sidewalk, the trottoir roulant at the 1900 World Fair in Paris.« |
