BanzaiTree t1_irf12t5 wrote on October 7, 2022 at 3:59 PM

Reply to comment by Individual_Ad2579 in TIL about The “Victory Speed”. Beginning in May of 1942 and ending in August of 1945, a nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour was instated. The “Victory Speed” limit was instated in order to reduce gasoline and rubber consumption. by Phillip_Lipton

This was before the freeway system and the concept of “highway” was a lot more primitive than what we have today. Long distance travel via automobile was also vastly less common vs. train.

AudibleNod t1_irf32tf wrote on October 7, 2022 at 4:14 PM

At the start of WWII, Route 66 was about 15 years old. And it was leisurely and romantic as the song implies. Road trips in those days was one part Griswold Vacation, one part Conestoga wagon train, one part diarrhea apocalypse from all the roadside diners.

My Grandma talked about a 6 day road trip from Denver to Salt Lake City in the middle of the war. She made it seem like half the time they were waiting for cattle to move.