The Future That Never Was

A conference on 'Past Visions of America's Transportation Future' asks why forecasts are so often wrong.

1 minute read

June 9, 2003, 1:00 PM PDT

"An illustration on the cover of the February 1951 issue of Popular Mechanics depicts a man who has just returned from work and is parking his compact yellow helicopter in the garage of his suburban home. The accompanying magazine story assured readers that personal helicopter coupes promised to be the cure for traffic congestion. Moreover, the little helicopters were already in production, and only the Korean War prevented them from entering the civilian market, where they were expected to sell for not much more than a medium-priced car... The story of the helicopter coupe is just one example of a transportation visionary's prediction that never materialized."

Thanks to ITS Headline News

FULL STORY: The Future That Never Was

Sunday, June 8, 2003 in Institute Of Transportation Studies

Transportation United States

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