Getting There: Epic Struggle Between Road and Rail in the American Century

A readable and concise overview of how U.S. transportation came to its present pass… . Goddard is at his best when recounting the complex and interesting history of what has come to be called ‘the highway lobby.’… An excellent book for the general reader with an interest in getting around.–Larry Fish, Philadelphia Inquirer This is a riveting story: of mighty railroads hamstrung almost overnight by government bureaucrats; of road interests led by General Motors Corp. conspiring in city after city to destroy efficient trolley systems … and of freeways that are far from free.–Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press

The combination of forces and fates that turned America into a giant parking lot from sea to shining sea is the subject of Stephen B. Goddard’s lively pop history… . As Mr. Goddard ably points out, road-building and the creation of car-dependent suburbs have become ends in themselves.–James Howard Kunstler, Wall Street Journal

The strength of Goddard’s book is that he understands the complexities of manipulating public opinion to influence legislatures.–David Young, Chicago Tribune

[Goddard’s] book is a deft and easily read history of how transportation has shaped the nation and its economy, and ultimately, how a federation of truck and car interests drastically tilted national policies… . For many reasons this is an exceptionally important work.–Jim Dwyer, New York Newsday