Essay - Technology, Transportation, and Society - Then, Now and the Near...

Technology, Transportation, and Society - Then, Now and the Near Future

*****, transportation and society are three areas that are interlinked. Technology determines what transportation will exist. The transportation that exists determines how we ***** live ***** the nature of our society also ***** ***** transportation is created.

***** systems have developed considerably in the last century, giving us the ***** we currently have. The major development in ***** last few decades is ***** technology, with this likely to ***** a significant impact on future transportation *****.

The current transportation systems have also resulted in several problems, mostly related to environmental and quality of life issues. An understanding ***** these problems is ***** to result in better planning and application of future ***** systems.

To look in***** the ***** of transportation, it ***** necessary to first ***** back at the history ***** transportation. By looking at where transportation has evolved from, it is possible to predict how it will continue to evolve in ***** future.

Brief History of Transportation

The transportation of today does not exist on ********** own, but as part of a timeline of const*****nt evolution, where every new development improves upon the *****. The automobile of today ***** ********** is familiar ***** would not ***** without the invention of the wheel and the electric motor.

By looking at the history of transportation it is possible to see how our current transportation ***** ***** *****d. This also offers clues that can be used to look in***** the future and ***** how transportation will ***** to evolve.

The development of transportation *****cludes f***** specific areas: *****ed vehicles, ships, rail, and air transport. Put more simply, there are four ways of travelling: by land, by sea, by train and by plane. The ***** of each ***** ***** ***** will now ***** discussed in turn.

Travelling ***** Land - Wheeled Vehicles

The history of ***** by ***** begins not with the development of vehicles, but with the development ***** roads.

***** civilizations needed to transport materials and to travel bet*****en different townships. This need ***** in ***** development of both roads and bridges.

The earliest of these roads date back to around 3500 BC and were built by the Sumerians. The Chinese were ***** first ***** construct a permanent road system around 1000 BC.

***** Romans also built ***** road structures, with around 53,000 miles of roads built throughout their empire (Encyclopedia.com, 2002).

The second ***** development after the ***** was ***** development of two*****wheeled carts, which ***** ***** by the Sumerians around 3000 BC. This was followed by ***** four-wheel chariots developed ***** the Egyptians and Greeks.

***** ***** ***** precursor for the carriages that later became the major mode of *****.

Roads and horses and carts remained much the same until the twentieth century, when the internal combustion engine allowed for the ***** of *****s, ***** completely replaced the horse ***** cart.

The popularity of automobiles ***** changed roads, causing them to ***** in line with the new transport.