Media

cover

Let’s Get…OUT OF THE MUDDLE
by General Motors Public Relations Department. 1951.
21 pages, photographs

"We may think we sell cars and trucks - what we are really selling is mobility. Our cars and trucks must be well designed and well built, but if they cannot be used efficiently and enjoyably, they will be of no more value than a canoe in the desert."
- Albert Bradley, GM Executive Vice-President and National Highway Users Conference Chairman

GM's Let's Get Out of the Muddle booklet is based on information from a General Motors-Chevrolet 16mm film also titled, Let’s Get Out of the Muddle. The film was produced as a report to the GM field organization and GM dealers on the critical serious condition of the nation’s highway system and the need for concerted community action to solve the problem. It was made available to civic, fraternal, government, church and other interested groups by local Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac and GMC Truck dealers.

GM's active role in supporting the National Highway Users Conference and the Automotive Safety Foundation goes back many years. Alfred Sloan was the chairman and guiding spirit of the National Highway Users Conference from its organization in 1932 until 1948. He was succeeded by Albert Bradley.

The Introduction of this booklet is from Albert Bradley, GM Executive Vice-President and National Highway Users Conference Chairman, and describes his views relating to the importance of highway modernization.

The body of this booklet explains some of the reasons why the 1951 U.S. highways system had gotten into such a "muddle":

1. Highways are Dying: Highways constructed during the road-building boom of the twenties were planned for life-expectancies ranging from fifteen to thirty years.



2. Wartime Neglect: Because highways were considered "expendable" during WWII over a billion dollars on maintenance was spent in 1952 to keep existing roads in service.



3. Inflation: Inflation has nicked about fifty cents out of the prewar highway construction dollar. Appropriations have nowhere near offset this and there is less spending today in terms of construction purchased.



4. Increased Traffic: Since 1941, the U.S. population increased more than 19 million, vehicle registrations increased from 33 million to 48.5 million cars and trucks, and the mileage traveled increased from 300 billion to 450 billion miles a year. This greatly increased traffic is wearing out and highways are becoming obsolete at a fast rate.



5. We Built for Yesterday: The big highway construction program of the 1920s was aimed at the requirements of that time, not of today.



6. City Bottlenecks: City streets have become bottlenecks because little has been done to develop city streets systems to meet motor vehicle traffic increases.



7. Unwise Spending: Highway tax funds have not always been used wisely.

W.F. Hufstader, GM vice president in charge of distribution staff, provides a recommended action for GM dealers. He considers dealers an “effective group” and urges them to start a concerted local and statewide campaign to obtain public opinion behind an intelligent highway program. He believes dealers have a responsibility to promote highway improvement as a citizen and as “automobile men” and includes five plan of action steps that dealers should seriously consider.

Tag Cloud

English