ROAD TRANSPORTATION - BASIC GEOGRAPHY

2. ROADS
MOST COMMON
SURFACES ON WHICH
PEOPLE AND VEHICLES
MOVE
KEY PART OF HUMAN
& ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

3. TRANS -
PORTATION
ACTIVITIES
STRENGTHEN REGIONAL ECONOMY
INFLUENCE LAND & NATURAL
RESOURCE USE
FACILITATECOMMUNICATION &
COMMERCE
EXPAND CHOICES
SUPPORT INDUSTRY
AID AGRICULTURE
INCREASE HUMAN MOBILITY

4. HISTORY OF ROAD MAKING
1. EARLIEST TRAVEL: FOOT ON PATHS AND
TRAIL
2. PACK ANIMALS & CRUDE SLEDS
3. DEVELOPMENT OF WHEEL
4. ROMANS  MOST ADVANCED HIGHWAY
SYSTEMS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
5. ROMANS CIVILIZATION’S PEEK 
MILITARY ROADS: BECOME PERFECTED
FOR WHEELED VEHICLES TO THE LIMITS
OF EMPIRE

5. HISTORY OF ROAD MAKING
6. AFTER THE DECLINE OF ROMAN EMPIRE:
ROADS DISREPAIR
 COMMERCE TRAVELED BY WATER/ON
PACK OF TRAINS
7. COMMERCIAL REVIVAL: INCREASED IN
WHEELED VEHICLES

6. HISTORY OF ROAD MAKING
8. 18TH CENTURY: ART OF ROAD BUILDING
REVIVED
P. TRESAGUET – FRENCH ENGR.  METHOD
OF LIGHTWEIGHT ROAD BUILDING
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE (1800-1814) – ROAD
CONSTRUCTING FOR MILITARY PURPOSES
SAME TIME, THOMAS TELFORD & JOHN
MCADAM – SCOTTISH ENGR.  ROAD
BUILDING TECHNIQUES

7. ROADS AND DEVELOPMENT
 VEHICLES IN THE BEGINNING OF 21ST
CENT.
600 MILLION WORLDWIDE
… CONTINOUSLY GROWING THAN
POPULATION / GNP
 AMERICANS – OWNS MOST CARS (1:1.7)
 JAPAN – (1:2.1)
GREAT BRITAIN – (1:5.3)

8. ROADS AND DEVELOPMENT
 HIGHWAYS – STRENGTHEN NATIONAL
UNITY
TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY
 WORLD’S LONGEST NATIONAL ROAD
BUILT TO IMPROVE EAST-WEST
COMMERCE IN CANADA
COMPLETED IN 1960’s
GROWING ROAD TRAFFIC REQUIRED
INCREASINGLY ROAD CONSTRUCTION

9. TRANS-CANADA H.WAY

10. TRANS-CANADA H.WAY

11. 1960’s WORLD BANK BEGAN TO
FINANCE ROAD CONSTRUCTION, YET,
SUSTAINABILITY WAS ALSO A
QUESTION –
COULD THE FACILITIES BE
MAINTAINED ONCE THEY WERE BUILT?
ROADS AND DEVELOPMENT

12. ROADS AND DEVELOPMENT
1990’s WORLD BANK FINANCED A
PROGRAM TO BUILT AN ASPHALT
RAOD NETWORK IN MOZAMBIGUE
ASPHALT  KEY TO SMOOTH ROADS

13. ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSEQUENCES
PRIVATE TOLL ROADS
COMMUNISM
POOR COUNTRIES
POOR TRANSPORT
NEED FOR CUTS & FILLS/BRIDGES &
TUNNELS
SEVERE WEATHER CHANGES

14. HIGHWAY CLASSIFICATION
1. BASIC TYPES
– CONVENTIONAL  UNDIVIDED 2-WAY ROAD
– DIVIDED HIGHWAY  MEDIAN
STRIPS/PHYSICAL BARRIERS
2. LANES – DETERMINE AMOUNT OF
TRAFFIC
– TYPICAL 2-3
– LOS ANGELES  5
– SOME ONLY 1
– TOLLWAYS  USERS PAY

15. CONVENTIONAL ROAD

16. 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY

17. LOS ANGELES LANE

18. CHINA TOLLWAYS

19. TOLLWAY

20. KOBE-WAWAJI-NARUTO EXPRESSWAY

21. HIGHWAY CLASSIFICATION
3. ROADS – HIGHEST LEVEL; FOR LONG-
DISTANCE TRAVEL
– EXPRESSWAYS – for high level of traffic
– ARTERIAL
– COLLECTOR
– LOCAL IN URBAN AREAS