From the Archives: Noon-Hour Traffic, Dublin, 1949

Somewhere along the line, while amassing the Irish section of my personal library, I came into possession of an issue of Holiday magazine from December 1949. I picked it up because, well, it had this lengthy article about Ireland at the mid-century mark. Of course I get two times the use from it, as the story contains a couple photos showing bicycling in the city of Dublin. The caption for the one above states: "Noon-hour traffic in the heart of town is choked with cyclists sprinting toward lunch. This contingent wheels past the pillared Bank of Ireland in College Green." 

I would certainly question the use of the word choked in this case. It would be far more appropriately applied to conditions as they exist today on the automobile-dominated streets. I would take 1949's "choked" streets over today's "choked" streets anytime.

Not sure of the reason, but I took very few photos at races in 1994, so I am reaching into other areas of the archives for many of this years From the Archives features. You know what, maybe this is a good time for some of you readers to participate - if you have a good photo you are willing to share send it my way (jpeg) with a little description. Though I am partial to them, the photos don't even have to be from a race. The only requirements are that the image be a minimum of twenty years old, and bike-related. There must be some good ones out there that have not been seen around the biking blogosphere in years - dig them out and lets have a look.