Global Unity: Transportation and Communication in Modern Living

The world today has been converted into a global village. This has been achieved through efficient systems of trade, transport and communication. With the development in science and technology, the area of influence of trade and transport expanded far and wide. The trade or the exchange of commodities relies on transportation and communication. 

Modern Living Relies on Efficient Transportation, Communication, and Trade. Originally unified, now specialized, enabling Global Exchange of Ideas and Messages, We exchange our views, ideas and messages from one place to another or one individual to another while communicating with the help of various means. 

Unified Transport Systems: Connecting Societies for Cooperation

• Transportation Service: It is a service or facility for the carriage of persons and goods from one place to the other using humans, animals and different kinds of vehicles. 
  • Such movements take place over land, water and air. 
• Diverse Modes of Transportation: The principal modes of world transportation are land, water, air and pipelines. These are used for inter-regional and intra-regional transport. 
  • Roads and railways form part of land transport, while shipping and waterways and airways are the other two modes. 
  • Pipelines carry materials like petroleum, natural gas, and ores in liquefied form.
• Strategic Integration: The significance of a mode depends on the type of goods and services to be transported, costs of transport and the mode available. Various modes of transport complement each other (Refer Figure 6.1).
• Fostering Societal Unity and Cooperation: Transportation is an organised service industry created to satisfy the basic needs of society. Efficient transportation promotes cooperation and unity among scattered people.

Modes of Transportation

Land Transport Evolution: Wheels to Engines, Old and New Harmony

• Historical Evolution of Transportation: In early days, humans themselves were carriers. For Example, brides were carried in palanquins (doli/palki) by four persons (called Kahars in North India).
  • Later animals were being used for transport.
  • In the densely populated districts of India and China, overland transport still takes place by human porters or carts drawn or pushed by humans.
  • Wheel Invention: With the invention of the wheel, the use of carts and wagons became important. 
  • The invention of the steam engine in the eighteenth century revolutionized transportation forever.

• Revolutionizing Transportation: The first public railway line was opened in 1825 between Stockton and Darlington in northern England.
  • It opened up continental interiors for commercial grain farming, mining and manufacturing in the U.S.A.
• Land Transportation Revolution: The invention of the internal combustion engine revolutionized road transport in terms of road quality and vehicles plying over them. 
• Innovations in Land Transportation: Among the newer developments in land transportation are pipelines, ropeways and cableways.
  • Liquids like mineral oil, water, sludge and sewers are transported by pipelines.
• Complementary Role of Old and New Means: The old and elementary forms like the human porter, pack animal, cart or wagon are now supplementing modern channels and carriers which penetrate the interiors in large countries.

Road Transport Dynamics: Advantages, Challenges, and Global Impact

• Roads play a vital role in a nation’s trade and commerce and for promoting tourism.
• The Advantages of Road Transport: Road transport is the most economical for short distances, freight transport by road also offers door-to-door service.
• Challenges of Road Transport: 
  • Unmetalled roads are not effective and serviceable for all seasons. 
  • During the rainy season these become unmotorable and even the metalled ones become impaired during floods or very heavy rainfalls.
  • Urban cities also face the problem of road congestion and heavy traffic flows during peak hours.
  • Road construction and maintenance requires heavy expenditure.
• Driving Across Continents: The world’s total motorable road length is only about 15 million km, of which North America accounts for 33 percent. 
  • The highest road density and the highest number of vehicles are also registered in this continent.

Reasons Why Roads are Preferred Over Railways: Advantages Over Railways in Modern Transport

• Road transport has an edge over railways because of the ease with which they can be built and maintained. The growing importance of road transport vis-à-vis rail transport is rooted in the following reasons:
  • Cost Efficiency: Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines.
    • Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances, 

• • Adaptability in Terrain: Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography,
    • Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and can pass over mountains such as the Himalayas, 
  • Efficiency in Door-to-Door Service: It also provides door-to-door service, thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower.
  • Integration in Transportation Networks: Road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport such as they provide a link between railway stations, air and sea port

India- Density of Roads (2001)

Road Transport in India: Vast Network, Historical Challenges, and Plans

• India’s Vast Road Network: India has the second largest road networks in the world with a total length of about 63.73 lakh km (PIB, 2023). 
  • About 85 percent of passenger and 70 percent of freight traffic are carried by roads every year. 
• Pre-World War II Constraints: Road transport in the modern sense was very limited in India before World War-II. In 1943, the ‘Nagpur Plan’ was drawn. 
  • But this plan could not be implemented because of lack of coordination between British India and princely states.
• Twenty-year Road Plan (1961): It was introduced to improve the conditions of roads in India. 
  • However, roads continue to concentrate in and around urban centres.
  • Rural and remote areas had the least connectivity by road.

Road Density Across India: Regional Variations and Averages

• It is the length of road per 100 sq. km of area and it varies across the country (Refer Figure 6.2).
• Density of all roads varies from only 12.14 km in Jammu & Kashmir to 517.77 km in Kerala with the national average of 142 km (2011).

Also Read: Classification of Roads in India