British Columbia by the Road: Car Culture and the Making of a Modern Landscape
English
By (author): Ben Bradley
In British Columbia by the Road, Ben Bradley takes readers on an unprecedented journey through the history of roads, highways, and motoring in British Columbias Interior, a remote landscape composed of plateaus and interlocking valleys, soaring mountains and treacherous passes.
Challenging the idea that the automobile offered travellers the freedom of the road and a view of unadulterated nature, Bradley shows that an array of interested parties boosters, businessmen, conservationists, and public servants manipulated what drivers and passengers could and should view from the road.
When it came to roads and highways, planners and builders had two concerns: grading or paving a way through the wilderness and opening pathways to new parks and historic sites. They understood that the development of a modern road network would lead to new ways of perceiving BC and its environment. Although cars and roads promised freedom, they offered drivers a curated view of the landscape that shaped the provinces image in the eyes of residents and visitors alike.
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