Transport is an inherent necessity for our lives and societies to function. Without it how would we move about, get to our jobs or go shopping? If we had no cars, where would we live, what form would our cities take?

 

Many of our cities have evolved for and due to our transport needs. Paris’ long Boulevards were created to enable people to move quickly from one part of the city to another, thus reducing slums around the city.

 

Harlem has long been associated with gangs and poverty, but it wasn’t designed to be so. This part of New York was predestined to be a middle class neighbourhood. The arrival of the subway system meant that its potential tenants could have more space further away from the city centre.

 

Even the most normal of cities today is affected by transport questions. Most people are choosing to live in suburbs for which a car is required to get from a to b. At the conception of such residential areas, particularly in Europe, public transport routes were integrated into the developments.

 

However, as we have become richer, increasingly suburbanites have chosen to use a car rather than bus systems. This has led to an increase in the quantity of traffic on our roads and has made travelling by car more and more difficult. 

The following cartoon shows how the people in 1958 imagined the future of transportation. Very interesting to see how different vision was!


 

 

The average commuting time in the UK is forecast to rise from 25 minutes to 35 minutes by 2025. Clearly we cannot just keep on adding car journeys. We must look at alternatives.

 

There are also other issues that need to be tackled too. Our current modes of transport are very polluting both on an environmental, visual and oratory level. Commutes can also be very stressful, whether in a car or on public transport.

 

So we have a whole host of problems that will require a whole host of solutions. Car companies are working on new technologies that promise cleaner and greener vehicles. These range from more efficient internal combustion engines, hydrogen power, fuel cells to electrical engines. There are also society based solutions too including car pooling and the increasing use of public transport.

 

Experience in Montréal, Canada, shows that when trains are put into place they become very popular. Ridership of suburban trains increased 86% from 1996 to 2002 as three service lines were put in place. Some of these solutions are relatively easy quick wins that can make a lot of sense and be achieved with enough drive.

 

Our future will depend on how we manage our need for transport. Solutions will come, some will be technologically based whilst others will be based on organisational solutions.