THE HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN THE UK

Аннотация

The purpose of this article is to summarise the major changes affecting transport systems
in the UK over the last 100 years.
The first section identifies significant points of change in the main transport modes. The
second section addresses the principal factors accounting for these changes. The third section
examines the consequences for the economy, social inequality and the environment. The article
also refers to the overarching trends and issues for consideration. From the historical analysis
five issues were identified as relevant to the future of transport in the UK.
Interactivity: while transport analysis and policy is often directed towards single modes
(e.g. road, rail), it is clear that developments in some modes have been closely connected with
those in others. Most journeys in the past were multi-modal. Mobility revolution: evidence points
to a transformation in personal mobility in the later twentieth century, driven by consumer
demand. Transformation has occurred in scale and scope in automobility, air travel and, more
recently, rail travel.
Overload: one of the results of the surge in the circulation of people and goods has been
overloaded transport systems: congested roads, crowded trains and airports. Sustainability:
since the oil crisis of 1973 the sustainability of transport has been a major issue, encompassing
renewable resources, carbon emissions and pollution. Government has worked towards greater
sustainability but it remains a major challenge.
Alternatives: transport systems have been relatively stable over the last century, qualifying
the idea of an imminent breakthrough to a new phase of transport. History suggests that change
is as much a matter of recycling the old as introducing the new. The past thus remains an
important resource for transport alternatives in the future.