Transportation

Introduction3

Thesis Statement4

Review of the Literature5

Demographic Factors7

Technological Advances7

Political Competition8

Importance of Transportation at Several Levels9

The Importance of Transport for Economic Development11

The Role of Transportation in Economic Development-America12

Effects of Transportation on Economic Development13

Conclusion17

References18

Annotated Bibliography20

Transportation

Introduction

Transport represents one of the largest global human activities. It is essential in the economy and plays a major role in the spatial relationships between geographic locations. Transport creates links between the regions and business, between people and the world. However, the effects of transportation cannot be overlooked as it has its significant impact on overall economic development of any country. This research paper focuses on the impact of transportation on U.S. economic development (Appol, 2006).

Developing better alternatives to current transportation systems and technologies is critical to any sustainable development strategy. Globally, mobility services are responsible for more than 60 percent of world oil consumption. The International Energy Agency predicts that global oil consumption will increase from its 2007 level of about 83 million barrels per day to more than 106 million barrels per day in 2030. In addition, despite all of the talk in recent years about alternative fuels, petroleum-based products remain dominant, constituting 98 percent of all transport energy consumption in 2008.

Given the growing demand in carbon-based transportation services, the following questions will be critical to meeting the challenges of sustainability (Benett, 1999). What are the principal modes of transportation? How do environmental externalities vary among modes? What are some common factors that influence the economic, social, and environmental characteristics of transportation systems? Also, what strategies can be employed to develop more efficient and environmentally sustainable methods to move people, goods, and services from point A to point B? There are many available alternative transportation choices, including:

Human-powered: walking, biking

Private vehicle: rented or owned

For hire, single party: taxi or limousine

Shared ride: carpool, vanpool

Rubber-tired: public transit bus or trolley bus

Rail transit: street cars/light rail, monorail, heavy rail, commuter rail

Airborne: airplane, helicopter

Waterborne: ferry or personal boat

Thesis Statement

This research paper emphasizes on finding the effects of transportation on U.S. Economic Development having to do with plane, train, and automobile use.

Review of the Literature

Transport is one of the most important factors determining the economic development of the country. An efficient transport system stimulates the national economy, and serious neglect in this area significantly limits the possibility of its further development. The specific role of transport in the process of economic development, therefore, justifies the desirability of determining transport policies, tools and methods for its implementation in conjunction with the general concept of state policy (Brian, 2005).

Each mode varies widely in cost. Environmental economists use an inclusive concept called triple bottom line accounting to measure cost. Triple bottom line accounting integrates social and environmental externalities associated with economic activity into overall cost calculations. According to this standard, air travel and private vehicles are generally more costly, and high-occupancy ground and waterborne public transit are usually less costly. For instance, carbon dioxide emissions per person-kilometer traveled by subway can be up to 90 percent lower than those generated by private vehicle use (Elbert, ...