Thirsty?

13-Jul-2022

Transport services and modes of transportation

During human evolution, the earliest means of transport were walking, swimming and running. Before the Industrial revolution and modernization, water transport was the most effective method of transporting huge quantities of goods over long distances although it was quite slow and costly. The essence of water transport led to the growth of cities along sea shores and rivers where ships, canoes and boats could dock.

The domestication of animals and the invention of the sled made way to earl animal transport services. Oxen and horses were used as early as 3000 BC to transport goods and humans and travelled over the dirt tracks. Later, civilizations like Mesopotamian and the Indus Valley paved roads for simpler transport.

The industrial revolution of the 19^th century turned transport in Margaret River on its head.  It was the era of various inventions that primarily changed the concept of transport. Telegraphy, communication, the steam engine and the steam ship sped global transport in all directions. Land transport become possible over large distances without the application of human or animal muscles. The Wright brothers’ successful experiments with aircraft paved the way for air transport and airplanes became a faster way to transport goods and people in shorter timeframes to more destinations.

Modes of Transportation

A mode of transportation is a solution or method that uses a specific type of infrastructure, vehicle and operation to transport cargo and people. A mode can be used on its own or along with various other modes. In this case it is referred to intermodal” or “multimodal” transport. Each is unique from the other and is user based on preferred factors such as transport cost, route taken, ability and so on.

1. Human powered- This is the most common in developing and under developed countries due to various factors such as cost savings, accessibility of location, physical exercise, and environmental reasons. Human-powered transport in Margaret River is a sustainable type of transport and has lately been improved by the use of machinery and contemporary technology. For example, skiing, rowing, skating, cycling are extremely beneficial in hard environments.
2. Animal powered- Whether used by pack animals or ridden by humans for movement of commodities and people, animals can work on their own or in teams.
3. Air- Aircraft and airplanes have lessened travel times considerably and is the fastest mode of goods and passenger transport. High expenses and high energy use are the drawbacks of air transport. Nonetheless, it is estimated that more than 5, 00000 people travel in aero plains at any given time.
4. Road- Road networks pass through towns, cities and villages and offer better connectivity choices along with city rail networks and are perfect for public transport also. Road transport is completely different from other modes as it enables a vehicle user to have complete liberty over direction, speed, travel timings and change of location that other transport methods can’t offer.

Other less used modes include pipeline and cable transports which are specifically purpose based.

All the transport services include three common factors- infrastructure like amenities and terminals, operations that include private and government agencies and vehicles which are particularly made for the purpose.