Importance of Transportation

         The branch of transportation engineering which deals with planning,design,construction and maintenance of of air ports and other facilities for the operation of aircrafts is termed as airport engineering.The development of terminal facilities for ships and boats,their harbouring,repairs etc. are covered under harbour engineering .The design which comes under laying of railways lines are all comes railway engineering.These railway engineering also needs planning ,design and construction.

Role of transportation:

          Transportation contributes to the economic,industrial,social and cultural development of any country.Transportation is vital for the economic development of any regions since every commodity produced whether it is food,clothing,industrial products like seeds,manure,coal,steel etc. In distribution stage ,transportation is required from the production centres and later to the retailers and the consumers for distribution.The  in adequate transportation facilities retard the process of socio-economic development of the country.The adequacy of transportation system of a country indicates its  and economic and development.

Economic activity and transport

        The economic activity are the processes by means of which the products are utilized to satisfy human wants.Two important factor are
(i)  Production or supply
(ii) Consumption for human wants or demand.

        Man and his products are thus not bound to his local surroundings.The importance of transportation in economic activity is to be found in its effects on both human wants for goods and satisfaction  through and distribution .While discussing the general effects of transportation,it may be said that the increased productivity and its efficient transportation can lower the cost of the products.The transportation cost is always an influencing factor on consumer price of commodities.

Social Effects of Transportation

          Progress follows the lines of transportation.Population have always settled along the river shores,road sides and near railway stations.In the present concept of transportation network, this kind of ribbon development is greatly discouraged.Attempts are being made to decentralize the population centres away from the sides main transportation routes Thus town planning patterns are rapidly changing.To avoid congestion around populated areas sub urban living and industrial enterprise are developing.These suburbs and satellite towns,acting as counter manager should be linked up with rapid transmit systems.The Various social effects of transportation may be elaborated as follows:

(a) Sectionalism and Transportation: 

            Improved transportation has important implication in reducing sectionalism within the country and also outside the country.Under developed colonies and tribes are improving their living conditions since the distances have apparently been reduced with reduction in travel time.

More frequent  travels in other part of the country and outside the country tend to increase the knowledge  of the people from other sections of he society .The international understanding for better peace and order also improves with efficient network of transportation.

(b) Concentration of Population into Urban Areas:

        The improved transportation network brings prosperity to the urban population .The prosperity and employment opportunities of urban areas attract the population from other areas resulting in enhanced economic activities.Adequate mass transportation facilities are needed to cater the internal movements in urban areas such as daily movements to and from factories,offices,schools,hospitals and other social needs. Efficient rapid transit facilities are necessary for sub-urban and inter city long distances travel for business needs,social visits and tourist activities.This also encourage the people to live in places away from their centres,thus helping to decrease the growth of slums in urban areas.In genera; the transportation facilities are essential for the well being of the community.

(c) Aspects of Safety,law and order:

        Transport facilities are essential for rushing aids to areas affected by an emergency.To maintain law and order at home,it is required to have an efficient system of transport network.To defined defend the territory of the country against the external aggression and to guard the borders with foreign territories,transport facilities are needed connecting the farthest border area from head quarters or capitals.At times,this alone may be sufficient reason to develop a transport network
which may not involve any economic and social benefit directly.

All Advantages of transportation may be summarized:

(i)   Transportation is for advancement of the community.

(ii)  Transportation is essential for economic prosperity and general development of the country,and

(iii) Transportation is essential for strategic movement in emergency for defence of the country and to         maintain better law and order. 

Role of Transportation in Rural Development

            With over 75 % of the population of the country living in the villages,the development in urban centres 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 centres .The Fertilizers and other inputs for agriculture and cottage industries could reach the rural population easily and similarly the products can be sold at the nearest marketing centres for remunerative price resulting in faster economic growth and decreased wastage.With improved facilities for education,health care and other social needs in the villages,the urge for migration to urban centres decreases,thus helping in balance  development of the country as a whole.

Different Modes of Transportation

           Three basic modes of transport by land,water and air.Land has given scope for development of road ways and railways.Water and Air have developed water ways and air ways respectively.The road or the highways not only include the modern highway system but also the city streets,feeder roads and village roads ,Catering for wide range of road vehicles and the pedestrians. Railway have been developed both for long distance transportation and for urban travel.Waterways include oceans rivers,canals and lakes.
      The Four Major mode of transportation are :
a) Road Ways
b) Rail Ways
c) Water Ways
d) Air Ways

Road Ways:

       The Way used by Cars,Motor Cycle,Cycle,Cars,Buses and Trucks on the Land is called as Road Ways.It will help in walking for pedestrians also through foot path.

Rail Ways:

        The Way  By the Trains for Traveling and Transportation purpose on the Track is Called as Railways.
No Pedestrians are allowed.

Water Ways:

       The Way traveled through Boat,Ship and Sub Marine on Water is called Water Ways .

Air Ways:

     The Way traveled through flight and helicopter by air is called Air Ways.

       The transportation by air is the fastest among four modes .Air Travel also provides more comfort apart from saving in transportation time for the passengers and the goods between the airports.
Transportation by water is slowest among the four modes;but this mode needs minimum energy to haul unit load through unit distance.The transportation by water is possible between the ports on the sea routes or along the rivers and canals where land transportation facilities are included.
 
      The transportation along the railway track advantages by railways between the stations both for the passengers and goods,particularly longer distances.These railway tracks cold serve as feeder system for transportation to interior parts and to intermediate localities between the railway stations.The Energy requirement to haul unit load through unit distance by the railway is only fraction of he required road.Therefore full advantage of this mode should be taken for the transportation of bulk goods along land where the railway facilities are available.
 
    The transportation by road is the only mode cold give maximum service to one and all.
This mode has also maximum flexibility for travel with reference to route,direction,time and speed of travel etc. through any mode of vehicle.It is possible to provide door to door service only road transport.The other 3 mode of transportation viz., airways,waterways and railways have to depend on transportation of roads for the service to and from their respective terminals,airport, harbours or stations.The road net work 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 a well planned net work of roads throughout the country.
 
     Through co-ordination between different modes of transportation is desirable,it is also necessary to permit a healthy competition between the different modes,as each one has widely varying characteristics.

Characteristics of Road Transport

        It is an accepted fact that of all the modes the transportation,road transport is the nearest to the people.The passenger and the goods have to be first transported by road before reaching a railway station or a port or an airport.The road network alone could serve the remotest villages of the vast country like our.

       The  Characteristics of Road Transport are briefly listed here.
*Roads are used various types of road vehicles,like passenger cars,buses,trucks two and three wheeled automobiles ,pedal cycles and animal drawn vehicles.But railway tracks are used only by rail locomotives and wagons,water ways are used by only ships and boats

*Road transport requires a relatively small investment for the government.Motor vehicles are much cheaper than carriers like rail locomotives and wagons,water and air carriers. and air carriers.Construction and maintenance of roads is also cheaper than that of railway track,docks,harbours and airports.

*Road transport completely offer an freedom to road users to transfer the vehicles from one lane to another  and to from one road to another according to the need and convenience.This flexibility of changes in location,direction,speed and timings of travel is not available to other modes of transport.

*In particular for short distance travel,road transport saves time.Trains stop at junctions and main stations for comparatively longer time.

*Speed of movement is directly related with severity of accident.The road Safety decreases with increase dispersion in speed.Road Transport is subjected to high degree of accidents due to flexibility of movements offered to the user.Derailment of railway locomotives and air planes and air crashes are not uncommon.They are in fact more disastrous.

*Road transport is the only means of transport offer itself to the whole community.

*The Major defect of road is Traffic.
   Traffic:It means the amount of vehicles using in given volume of road than average no.of vehicles.
   It cause an irritation to passenger who were travelling.
   Without proper maintenance fatal accidents may occur.

                                                                                                                                                                      

Traffic Control

                   To Control following measure to eradicate traffic and its effects.
  *Following of traffic rules or obeying of traffic conditions.
   All road user must obey traffic rules that
    "Green signal for "Proceeding"
    "Red Signal for Stopping"
    "Yellow Signal to Ready to Stop".

* Passengers are requested to wear helmet for two wheelers seat belt for four wheeler to eradicate accidents.

*Avoiding of Alcoholic driving.

*Follow signals given by other vehicles.

*Passenger advised to use public mode of Transportation.

* Avoid Cell phone Driving.

*Follow the instruction given by road authority about the particular road.

*Pedastrains are advised to use footpath and zebra crossings.

                                   

Importance of Roads in India

Significance of Planned Roads Network

           It may be said that Deficiency in the development in India has contributed greatly to the set backs in agricultural ,commercial and industrial sectors.It is essential to provide roads links between the villages and market centers.The prosperity around the urban areas alone do not reflects the economic progress con be achieved ,only if reasonably adequate transport facilities are made available between the villages and other district head quarters and commercial centers.The road networks have also to be supplemented with express ways to keep pace with requirement of uninterrupted movement of fast vehicles along the arterial roads.In general,developing countries have to raise their transportation system to a higher level both in terms of length and quality so as to meet the demand which is generated by the development plans.Also road development generates considerable employment potential.It is estimated by planning commission and the National Council of Applied Economic Research that RS 1000 Crores invested in roads would yield employment for six million persons.
       
           It has been shown that paved surface in reasonably good condition can contribute to 15%-40%
savings in vehicle cost operation.This is very significant from the point of view of energy crisis and conservation of petroleum fuel.Thus it is all more than important to construct and maintain road pavements in good condition.Revenue from the road transport from India has been much higher than the investment made on road development plans.Out of the estimated revenue of Rs.10,000 Crores from the road sector during the sixth five plan 1980-85,only Rs. 3439 Crores was provided for development  in the country.There is a great need and considerable scope for development of road transportation in India.

Requirements of rural development of Roads

  There are 5.76 lakhs villages in India. Of these only about 57% of villages with population about 1500,63.6% villages with population 1000 -1500 and 23% villages with population less than 1000 were connected with all -weather roads by 1980-81.Realising the urgency of the developing roads , these have been treated as a part of minimum needs programme since the fifth five year plan.

  It is Estimated that RS. 11,000 crores (as per 1980 cost estimate) will be needed to provide all weather motor able road net work so than on the average any villages not more than 1.6 km from road.During the sixth five year plan (1980-850 out of he provision of 3439 crores for the road development and maintenance ,RS. 1165 crores was set a part for the rural roads under minimum needs programme.The states are also actively engaged in the development of rural roads.For example, a master plan for rural roads have been prepared for Karnataka State at an cost of Rs. 949 crores.  

Comparative Study of Road Statistics

     The road statistics gives the idea of the stage of road development of a country.The road statistics may be presented on the basis of area of the country or the population.The road network of this country had to be considerably increased during the development plans.The poor road development in India in he past may due to the following reasons:

* There was no planned development of roads in India up to initiation of  Nagpur  Road Plan in the Tear 1943.Only during five year plans since 1951, he development works were speeded up.

* the investment even today on the road development programme is much lower than the revenue from the road transport.

Poor Economic conditions of the vast majority of the population in villages prohibit the owing of private vehicles and discourage the use of transport.


      There has been a noteworthy progress in road development in India during the post-Independent period,especially since the start of first five year plan in the year 1951.The total road length by the year 1951 was only 3,97,600 km, whereas the road length achieved by 1981 was 15,02,700 km. The density of roads in km per 100 sq.km area of the country by the year 1951 was about 12 which increased to 21 by the year 1961,34 by 1972 and 46 by 1981. The Road density values of some of he developed and developing countries by the year 1981 are given in table 1.1 for comparsion.

      Table 1.1 Road Density Values In Different Countries by the year 1981 

Scope of Highway Engineering

scope:

   The road pavements are generally constructed on small embankments,slightly above the general ground level wherever possible ,in order to avoid difficult drainage and maintenance problems.
The term road or railway thus constructed is therefore termed 'highway' and science and technology dealing with Road Engineering is generally called  'Highway Engineering'.

   In the fore going paragraphs,the need the status of road transportation have been discussed.It is therefore logical to discuss the science of highway engineering which answer the questions as how highways are planned and designed and how they constructed and maintained. Answers to each of these questions contribute to the development of the subject.

   In nutshell,it may be said that the highway engineering deals with various phase like development,planning,alignment,highway geometric design and location, highway traffic operation and its control,materials,pavement design,construction and maintenance,economic considerations,finance and administration.


 Many other special aspect which are not included in the general layout are related to problems of development and construction of hill-roadside development including landscaping road architecture and arboriculture.

 Development,Planning                                           Historical background; Basis for Planning;                and Locations                                                         Master plan;Engineering Surveys and
                                                                                 highway alignment.

Highway Design,                                                     Road Geometrics and theirs Design;Rigid and
Geometrics & structure                                            Flexible Pavements;Design factors and                                                                                                    Thickness  design; Overlay design;Design of                                                                                            design system                                            

Traffic Performance                                                Traffic Studies analysis; Need for new road links;
and its Control                                                         Traffic regulation and Control;Intersection design
                                                                                 and their controls with signs,islands and markings.
                                 
Materials,Construction                                           Highway Materials and mix design;Highway
and Maintenance                                                    construction;Earth Work;construction of different
                                                                               Earthen,soil stabilized  ,W.B.M, Bituminous                                                                                            Surfaces;C.C.Roads;Pavement Failure:Pavement
                                                                               Evaluation Maintenance of pavements evaluation
                                                                               Maintenance of pavements and drainage system.

Economic,Finance                                                Road user and cost and economic analysis of
and Administration                                               highway projects;pavement types and maintenance
                                                                             measures;Highway Finance and phasing of                                                                                              Expenditure;Administration.