Nonsense. We’d had cities with streets for a thousand years at least, and public roads through the countryside, where pedestrians and horses and carts and livestock all mixed together.
But pedestrians DID NOT TAKE THE CARRIAGEWAYS. They took the footpaths. Have you ever lived in a pre-industrial society? I have had that privilege. Have you read anything from the 1700’s - 1800’s ? I have had that privilege too. One of the things I value most from my time living ‘off the map’ was the insight it gave me into the literature and traditions of the modern society I live in.
19th century cyclists paved the way for modern motorists’ roads
PS: One of the things I missed most was the loss of several years of education at the level where most people learn to spell.