We've all been there. We're walking to or from someplace and we think, "Wouldn't it be faster and easier if I was on a giant moving sidewalk, like in The Jetsons?" 

All this congestion and foot traffic would work out so much easier if we could just chill and be transported politely from one point to another.

The answer is yes, that would be much easier. So is it a surprise that back in the day, Goodyear wanted to install a giant conveyor belt between Grand Central Terminal and Times Square? 

Well, kind of. It was an ambitious plan, but New York City is an ambitious one, if nothing else. So what was it going to be like, and why doesn't this exist? 

In 1951, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company proposed erecting a conveyor belt system designed to deliver passengers quickly and easily to a retro-style shuttle system, across town, and back onto another conveyor belt-- in one continuous loop.

[anad]

Amazingly, the New York Board of Transportation budgeted $3.8 million for the transit system, and Goodyear began rigorously testing the concept to streamline comfort, ease, and speed. 

They were careful to accommodate ladies in high-heels, handicapped people, and people holding a bunch of shopping bags: thorough. Check it out below.

via 6sqft

But it gets even nuttier: the City came pretty close to actually building this. The DOT was behind it, for a while. 

That is, until they cut spending on transportation, and the dream of Jetsons-style conveyor belt sidewalk systems vanished, ten years before the show even aired.

Did You Know Broadway Almost Became a Huge Moving Sidewalk Way Back in 1872?!