Introduction

Role of Transportation:

Transportation contributes to the economic, industrial, social & cultural development of any country.

• Transportation is vital for the economics development of any region, since every product produced such as food, clothing, industrial products or medicine needs transport at all stages from production to distribution.
• The in adequate transportation facilities retard the process of socio-economic development of a country.
• All human beings are interacting over distance and time for food, shelter, work, business, recreation and security.
• All agricultural and industrial raw materials, products and equipment’s are needed to be transported from one place.

Economic Activity and Transport:

The economic activities are the processes by which the products are utilized to satisfy human wants. The two main factors well known in economic activity are:

1. Supply (Production)
2. Demand (Consumption for human wants)

The increased productivity and its efficient transportation can lower the cost of products. The transportation cost is always an influencing factor on consumer price of commodities.

Social Effects of Transportation

Population have always settled along the river, shores, road sides & near railway stations. Attempts are being made to decentralize the population centers away from the sides of the main transportation routes. Thus, town planning and patterns are rapidly changing. To avoid congestion around the populated areas suburban living and industrial enterprises are3 developing.

The various social effects of transportation may be further elaborated as:

1. Concentration of population in urban area: The improved transportation network brings prosperity to the urban population. This prosperity and employment opportunities of urban areas attract the population from other areas resulting in enhanced economic activities.
2. Aspect of safety, law & order: Transport facilities are essential for rushing aids to areas affected by an emergency. To maintain law & order at home, it is required to have an efficient system of transport network. Also, to defend the territory of the country against the external aggression and to guard the boards with the foreign countries or territories, transport facilities are needed connecting the farthest border area from the head quarters.
3. Sectionalism and transportation: Improved transportation has important implication in reducing sectionalism within the country & also outside the country. Under-developed tribes are improving their living conditions since the distances have apparently been reduced with reduction on travel time.

Role of Transportation in Rural Development:

With over 75% of the population in our country are living in villages, the development on urban centers alone do not indicate the overall development of the country. Only with the improvement in transportation facilities in rural areas, there could be faster development of the rural centers.

• The fertilizers and other inputs for agriculture and cottage industries could reach the rural population easily & similarly the products can be sold at the nearest marketing centers for more remunerative price resulting in faster economic growth & decreased wastage.
• With improved facilities for education, health care & other social needs in the villages, the urge for the migration to urban centers decreases, thus helping in balance development of the country as a whole.

Modes of Transportation

There are three basic modes of transportation:

1. Land: Road Transport, Railway Transport.
2. Water: Water ways.
3. Air: Airways.

The four major modes of transportation are: Roadways, Railways, Waterways and Airways.

Apart from these major modes of transportation, other modes include pipe lines (used for water/fluid/solids transportation), elevators, belt conveyors, cable cars, aerial ropeways, monorails.

Transportation by air is the fastest among the four modes which also provides more comfort apart from saving travel time for passengers & also goods.

Transportation by Water is the slowest among the four modes but this mode needs minimum energy to haul unit load through unit distance.

Transportation along railway track could be advantage for passengers & goods by railways between the stations particularly for longer distances. These railway tracks could serve as arteries for transportation by land and the Roads could serve as feeder system for transportation to the intermediate localities between the railway station.

• The energy requirement to haul unit load through unit distance by the railway is only a fraction (one fourth to one sixth) of that required by road.

Transportation by Road is the only mode which could give maximum service to one and all. This mode has also the maximum facility for travel with reference to route, direction, time & speed of travel etc. through any mode of road vehicle. It is possible to provide door to door service only by road. The other three modes (airways, waterways, railways) have to depend on transportation by roads for the service to and from their respective terminals, airports, harbors or stations.

The road network is therefore needed not only to serve as feeder system for other modes of transportation and to supplement them, but also to provide independent facility for road travel by well planned network of roads throughout the country.

• Airport Engineering: The branch of transportation engineering which deals with the planning, design, construction and maintenance of airports and other facilities for the operation of aircrafts.
• Harbor Engineering: The development of terminal facilities for ships and boats, their harboring, repairs etc. are covered under Harbor Engineering.
• Railway Engineering: The design & laying of railway tracks and yards, their maintenance and safety & control of train movements are dealt in Railway Rngineering.
• Highway Engineering: The planning, design, construction & maintenance of road & roadway facilities to cater to the needs of road traffic are covered under Highway Engineering.