Well, I've no doubt about that, but should we care that people do the right thing for the wrong reason?
I suppose there's some room for debate about whether it's the "right" thing, as the goal of the article seems to be "hey, roads used to be for PEOPLE", apparently forgetting that there's people in the cars as well whose want and right to unobstructed travel is just as valid as those outside the car.
Though the driver's desire for unobstructed travel is just as legitimate as anyone else's, the amount of land area required to cater to that desire is far larger than that of the pedestrian, cyclist, or mass transit user:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JFCIT3QO2IE/UxqPRqcRK7I/AAAAAAAAY3...
Beyond simple use of space, cars moving at high speeds preclude a safe and pleasant experience for those outside of cars. The driver's desire to travel at high speeds is perfectly reasonable, but when we as a society attempt to meet that desire in a dense urban area, the result is unpleasant at best and deadly at worst.
I'm a person, but I don't think you'd have much sympathy if I expressed a desire to walk down a busy street swinging a pickaxe around my head, notwithstanding the fact that it's great exercise and I enjoy it. Someone in a car is taking up a larger share of space and imposing larger risks on passers-by. I know vehicle owners pay an annual fee for their tags and for each gallon of gasoline they purchase, but it's arguable that their use of the road was heavily subsidized for quite a while.
The article makes clear that city streets were once a mix of pedestrians, pushcarts, street cars, horse drawn vehicles, etc.
The automobile industry didn't just push for equal rights for cars. They already had that. They wanted exclusive rights, and they used the problem of pedestrian deaths as leverage.
I suppose there's some room for debate about whether it's the "right" thing, as the goal of the article seems to be "hey, roads used to be for PEOPLE", apparently forgetting that there's people in the cars as well whose want and right to unobstructed travel is just as valid as those outside the car.