I grew up in the Chicago area. Streets were laid out before cars existed; narrow, with high curbs, if any, intersections having nearly square layouts, allowing little turning radius for vehicles going around corners. In winter, the packed snow formed ruts, a foot deep, which prevented one's front tires from raising the car out of the rut, to move over however little space allowed, when an oncoming vehicle was approaching. Narrow streets contributed to scrapes of fenders. We were accepting of this, as I had understood my dad's admonition that these streets had been designed for horses and wagons, not cars. During or after severe winter snowfalls, in our suburban area, 3 blocks from the "main drag", only the garbage trucks were big enough, and heavy enough, to rarely get stuck. Cars? Often stranded by the dozens. One year, I remember a garbage truck marooned against a foot-high curb, a "wagon-curb" as my dad had called it, unable to move! 1965, newly married, we travelled out to L.A. Stopped in Vegas. I marveled at the width of the streets, gazed in wonder at the traffic-controlled street signals! Back home, all traffic controls were based on clocks. The light was red or green, so long, regardless of traffic conditions. Here, if no car approached from a given direction, the light remained red! Left turn signals abounded! Didn't even know about them before! I wondered how many decades would ensue before such new thinking might invade the ancient system back home. The more I thought about it, the more I thought.......well, Chicago is my birthplace, my home. What if the Southwest had been? Would I think of moving to Chicago? Hardly. Should I think about leaving Chicago? Heartily. We did. The rest is history. Frank
Your description of Las Vegas streets reminds me of my husband's story about Boni Avenue. It is the main artery of Mandaluyong City where he grew up and where we first lived when we got married. In the 1960s, the well-paved road seemed unused because you can count the vehicles passing, according to my husband. Children even use that street for racing (running game which was common in those days). I couldn't imagine that description because I happen to see Boni Avenue as the busy thoroughfare that never runs out of vehicles. And now there is too much traffic in that avenue such that we avoid passing thru it when we go to that city.