Busy Freeway

The speeding traffic flies by like bullets being shot out of a cannon. The smooth asphalt of the freeway buzzes with the friction of fast moving cars, trucks, and other traffic, fleeing the city for a few days of rest and relaxation in the countryside. The echo of tires treading through the hot summer air permeates the surrounding soundscape, leaving no doubt as to what moves by so swiftly in the distance. In the United States, the term freeway is used nationwide. In some regions of the U.S., other terms are also used, including expressway, Interstate Highway, thruway, highway, and turnpike. The word freeway was coined by the "Father of American Zoning," Edward M. Bassett, in an influential article published in February 1930. Bassett argued that roads should be classified into three basic types: highways, parkways, and freeways. In Bassett's zoning and property law-based system abutting property owners have the rights of light, air, and access to highways, but not parkways and freeways; the latter two are distinguished in that the purpose of a parkway is recreation, while the purpose of a freeway is movement.