The US Island Where Cars Are Banned

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

19 June 2024

Mackinac Island in the US state of Michigan is a historic island between the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

M-185 is the only state highway in the US where motor vehicles are not allowed

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

Walking, riding a bicycle and horse-drawn carriages are the primary modes of transportation on Mackinac Island. It has only about 500 residents

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

It also houses over 500 horses, as motorised vehicles have been prohibited since 1898 because they scare the horses

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

The automobile industry was only getting started towards the end of the 1800s, and its headquarters were in Michigan

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

Horse-drawn carriages had been providing tours of the stunning Mackinac Island for more than thirty years by that time

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

They had a significant role in the island's transformation from a military station and hub for the Great Lakes fur trade to a well-liked tourist attraction

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

Carriage men petitioned the municipal council to outlaw the "dangerous horseless carriages" that were frightening their horses 

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

The ban was passed on July 6, 1898, by the village leaders and since then the island has been
car-free

Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

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Image: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

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