Handbook of Resource Material for the Task Force on the Modernization of Iowa's Transportation System, 1973

(1973) Handbook of Resource Material for the Task Force on the Modernization of Iowa's Transportation System, 1973. Transportation, Department of

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Abstract

Probably the oldest mode (method) of transportation is walking. The term mode as applied to transportation is often used to describe the vehicle (airplane, truck, public transit) or the guideway upon which the vehicle travels (highway, rail, waterway). The history of transportation has seen periodic emphasis on one mode -and then another, usually as the result of some technological advancement. The technology of domesticating animals necessitated the widening of paths through the forest. The wheel necessitated the development of smoother, less precipitous pathways. Through the years, thousands of technological advancements have influenced the development of our transportation system. Although many of these find application in many modes, as for example the internal combustion engine, transportation development has been a series of emphasis on one mode at a time. One may speak of the age of the steamship, the age of the railroad, and the age of the highway. These ages came about as a result of the combined influence of technology and perceived transportation need.