INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPORTATION Engr. Adrian M.

Reyes
ENGINEERING
WHAT IS TRANSPORTATION?
Transportation is all about moving goods
and people from one place to another
It is also Safe, efficient, reliable, and
sustainable movement of persons and
goods over time and space
 WHAT IS TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING?
Transportation engineering is a type of civil
engineering which focuses on the
infrastructure of transportation: all the
elements which support the movement of
goods and people. Transportation engineers
design runways, build bridges, layout
roads and plan docking facilities. They
look at traffic patterns, determine when
new transport facilities are needed and
come up with better ways to get from
point A to point B.
WHAT IS TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING?
Also, application of technology and
scientific principles to the planning,
functional design, operation, and
management of facilities for any mode
of transportation in order to provide for
the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient,
economical, and environmentally
compatible movement of people and
goods
Mobility is a basic human need. From the times immemorial,
everyone travels either for food or leisure. A closely associated
need is the transport of raw materials to a manufacturing unit or
finished goods for consumption.
Transportation fulfils these basic needs of humanity.
Transportation plays a major role in the development of the human
civilization. For instance, one could easily observe the strong
correlation between the evolution of human settlement and the
proximity of transport facilities.
Also, there is a strong correlation between the quality of
transport facilities and standard of living, because of
which society places a great expectation from
transportation facilities.
In other words, the solution to transportation problems must
be analytically based, economically sound, socially
credible, environmentally sensitive, and practically
acceptable and sustainable.
Alternatively, the transportation solution should be safe,
rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and eco
friendly for both men and material.
 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM
The characteristics of transportation system that makes it
diverse and complex are listed below:
1. Multi-modal: Covering all modes of transport; air,
land, and sea for both passenger and freight.
2. Multi-sector: Encompassing the problems and
viewpoints of government, private industry, and
public.
3. Multi-problem: Ranging across a spectrum of issues
that includes national and international policy,
planning of regional system, the location and design
of specific facilities, carrier management issues,
regulatory, institutional and financial policies
 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM
The characteristics of transportation system that makes
it diverse and complex are listed below:
4. Multi-objective: Aiming at national and regional
economic development, urban development,
environment quality, and social quality, as well as
service to users and financial and economic
feasibility.
5. Multi-disciplinary: Drawing on the theories and
methods of engineering, economics, operations
research, political science, psychology, other natural,
and social sciences, management and law.
 THE CONTEXT IN WHICH TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS STUDIED IS ALSO VERY
DIVERSE AND ARE MENTIONED BELOW:

Planning range: Urban transportation

planning, producing long range plans
for 5-25 years for multimodal
transportation systems in urban areas
as well as short range programs of
action for less than five years
Passenger transport: Regional
passenger transportation, dealing with
inter-city passenger transport by air,
rail, and highway and possible with
new modes.
 THE CONTEXT IN WHICH TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS STUDIED IS ALSO VERY
DIVERSE AND ARE MENTIONED BELOW:

Freight transport: Routing and

management, choice of different
modes of rail and truck
International transport: Issues such
as containerization, inter-modal co-
ordination
Therefore as we understand from above Transportation engineering
is a very diverse and multidisciplinary field, which deals with the
planning, design, operation and maintenance of transportation
systems. Good transportation is that which provides safe, rapid,
comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally
compatible movement of both goods and people. This profession
carries a distinct societal responsibility.
 3 ELEMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Infrastructure: which includes Road,
canal, rail, air Transfer points
Supporting elements (signs, signals,
safety)
Vehicles: which includes Planes, trains,
autos, buses, ships, trucks
Operators/Content : which includes
Drivers, pilots, freight, passengers
 HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
Long before cars, snowmobiles and airplanes, humans
had migrated to all over the Earth powered almost
exclusively by their feet.
Eventually, people got tired of walking around and
carrying everything they needed on their backs.
They started to use domesticated animals to carry
goods.
They also built machines and devices, like sleds and
travois, to help them carry more.
 HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
In some parts of the world, they began using the
wheel and axle to build carts and carriages.
As people travelled back and forth, establishing
trading routes, well-used paths became more and
more permanent. These paths became the first roads.
As time went on, people started to maintain the
roads and look at ways in which they could be made
easier to travel, these people were the first
transportation engineers.
 FOUR CRITICAL DIMENSIONS OF CHANGE IN
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Change in the demand: When the population,
income, and land-use pattern changes, the
pattern of demand changes; both in the amount
and spatial distribution of that demand.
Changes in the technology: As an example,
earlier, only two alternatives (bus transit and rail
transit) were considered for urban transportation.
But, now new systems like ITS ,LRT, MRTS, etc over
a variety of alternatives.
 FOUR CRITICAL DIMENSIONS OF CHANGE IN
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Change in operational policy: Variety of policy
options designed to improve the efficiency, such
as incentive for car-pooling, bus fare, road tolls
etc.
Change in values of the public: Earlier all
beneficiaries of a system was monolithically
considered as users. Now, not one system can be
beneficial to all, instead one must identify the
target groups like rich, poor, young, work trip,
leisure etc.
 MAJOR DISCIPLINES OF TRANSPORTATION
Transportation engineering can be broadly
consisting of the four major parts:

Transportation planning
Transportation planning essentially involves
the development of a transport model which
will accurately represent both the current as
well as future transportation system.
 MAJOR DISCIPLINES OF TRANSPORTATION
Geometric design
Geometric design deals with physical proportioning of
other transportation facilities, in contrast with the structural
design of the facilities. The topics include the cross-sectional
features, horizontal alignment, vertical alignment and
intersections. Although there are several modes of travel
like road, rail, air, etc.. the underlying principles are
common to a great extent. Therefore emphasis will be
normally given for the geometric design of roads
 MAJOR DISCIPLINES OF TRANSPORTATION
Pavement analysis and design
Pavement design deals with the structural design of roads, both (bituminous and concrete),
commonly known as (flexible pavements and rigid pavements) respectively. It deals with the
design of paving materials, determination of the layer thickness, and construction and
maintenance procedures. The design mainly covers structural aspects, functional aspects,
drainage. Structural design ensures the pavement has enough strength to withstand the impact
of loads, functional design emphasizes on the riding quality, and the drainage design protects
the pavement from damage due to water infiltration.
 MAJOR DISCIPLINES OF TRANSPORTATION
Traffic engineering
Traffic engineering covers a broad range
of engineering applications with a focus on
the safety of the public, the efficient use of
transportation resources, and the mobility
of people and goods. Traffic engineering
involves a variety of engineering and
management skills, including design,
operation, and system optimization.
OTHER IMPORTANT DISCIPLINES
Public transportation: Public transportation or mass transportation deals with study
of the transportation system that meets the travel need of several people by sharing
a vehicle. Generally, this focuses on the urban travel by bus and rail transit. The major
topics include characteristics of various modes; planning, management and
operations; and policies for promoting public transportation.
Financial and economic analysis: Transportation facilities require large capital
investments. Therefore, it is imperative that whoever invests money should get the
returns. When government invests in transportation, its objective is not often monetary
returns; but social benefits. The economic analysis of transportation project tries to
quantify the economic benefit which includes saving in travel time, fuel consumption,
etc. This will help the planner in evaluating various projects and to optimally allocate
funds. On the contrary, private sector investments require monetary profits from the
projects. Financial evaluation tries to quantify the return from a project.
OTHER IMPORTANT DISCIPLINES
Environmental impact assessment : The depletion of fossil fuels and the degradation of the
environment has been a severe concern of the planners in the past few decades.
Transportation; in spite of its benefits to the society is a major contributor to the above
concern.
Accident analysis and reduction: One of the silent killers of humanity is transportation.
Several statistics evaluates that more people are killed due to transportation than great wars
and natural disasters. This discipline of transportation looks at the causes of accidents, from the
perspective of human, road, and vehicle and formulate plans for the reduction.
Intelligent transport system: With advent to computers, communication, and vehicle
technology, it is possible in these days to operate transportation system much effectively with
significant reduction in the adverse impacts of transportation. Intelligent transportation system
offers better mobility, efficiency, and safety with the help of the state-of-the-art-technology.
FACTORS IN TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT
Transportation develops because of several and frequently overlapping
factors. From the many, the following are important:

Economic Factors
Almost all transport development is economic in origin. The chief preoccupation
of the first human was the procurement of food, shelter and sometimes
clothing. As they become more highly developed their needs increased, often
beyond what their local economy could supply
FACTORS IN TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT
Geographical Factor
Geography is closely related to economics. The geographical location of
natural resources determines the transport routes that gives access to those
resources and create economic utility, that is, time and place utility, by taking
them from a location where they have little values to processing and consuming
areas where their values is vastly increased.
FACTORS IN TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT
Political Policies
Political policies frequently play a deciding role in transport development.
Basically, is in a way to form integrated political system and control.

Military
The military might of a nation is primarily intended to support its political
polices and to provide for national defense. Consequently, often it has direct
influence on transport development.
FACTORS IN TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT
Technological Factor
Progress in direct and supporting technologies has played an obvious role in
transportation, for instance introduction of new economical transportation mode to the
exist system calls for the development of transportation

Competition
The competitive urges have given a powerful impetus to transport development.
Railroads compete with railroad also with trucks, barges, pipelines and airlines.
Airlines have counted heavily on speed but have also been forced to greater safety
and dependability to meet ground transport competition.
FACTORS IN TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT
Urbanization
The rapid growth of urban areas by an even more rapidly expanding
population is a phenomenon that cannot be overlooked among transport
development factors. Accessibility to land and the intensity of land use are
closely related to transport availability.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Transportation is a non separable part of any society. It exhibits a
very close relation to the style of life, the range and location of
activities and the goods and services which will be available for
consumption. Advances in transportation has made possible
changes in the way of living and the way in which societies are
organized and therefore have a great influence in the
development of civilizations. This topic conveys an understanding of
the importance of transportation in the modern society by
presenting selected characteristics of existing transportation
systems, their use and relationships to other human activities.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Transportation is responsible for the development of civilizations
from very old times by meeting travel requirement of people and
transport requirement of goods. Such movement has changed the
way people live and travel. In developed and developing nations,
a large fraction of people travel daily for work, shopping and
social reasons. But transport also consumes a lot of resources like
time, fuel, materials and land.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Economic role of transportation
Economics involves production, distribution and consumption of goods and
services. People depend upon the natural resources to satisfy the needs of life
but due to non uniform surface of earth and due to difference in local
resources, there is a lot of difference in standard of living in different
societies. So, there is an immense requirement of transport of resources from
one particular society to other. These resources can range from material things
to knowledge and skills like movement of doctors and technicians to the places
where there is need of them. Without the ability to transport manufactured
goods, raw materials, and technical know-how, a country is simply unable to
maximize the comparative advantage it may have in the form of natural or
human resources.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Social role of transportation
Transportation has always played an important role in influencing the
formation of urban societies. Although other facilities like availability of food
and water, played a major role, the contribution of transportation can be seen
clearly from the formation, size and pattern, and the development of societies,
especially urban centers.
Formation of settlements: From the beginning of civilization, the man is living in
settlements which existed near banks of major river junctions, a port, or an
intersection of trade routes.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Social role of transportation
Transportation has always played an important role in influencing the
formation of urban societies. Although other facilities like availability of food
and water, played a major role, the contribution of transportation can be seen
clearly from the formation, size and pattern, and the development of societies,
especially urban centers.
Size and Pattern of Settlement: the initial settlements were relatively small
developments but with due course of time, they grew in population and
developed into big cities and major trade centers. The size of settlements is
not only limited by the size of the area by which the settlement can obtain
food and other necessities, but also by considerations of personal travels
especially the journey to and from work. The increased speed of transport
and reduction in the cost of transport has resulted in variety of spatial
patterns.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Social role of transportation
Transportation has always played an important role in influencing the
formation of urban societies. Although other facilities like availability of food
and water, played a major role, the contribution of transportation can be seen
clearly from the formation, size and pattern, and the development of societies,
especially urban centers.
Growth of Urban Centers: When the cities grow beyond normal walking
distance, then transportation technology plays a role in the formation of the
city. For example, many cities in the plains developed as a circular city with
radial routes, where as the cities beside a river developed linearly. The
development of automobiles and other factors like increase in personal
income, and construction of paved road network, the settlements were
transformed into urban centers of intense travel activity.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Environmental role of transportation
The negative effects of transportation are more dominating than its useful
aspects as far as transportation is concerned. There are numerous categories
into which the environmental effects have been categorized. They are
explained in the following sections.
Safety
Present indications are that about half a million killed and about 15 million injured on the road
accidents annually. Increased variation in the speeds and vehicle density resulted in a high
exposure to accidents. Accidents result in loss of life and permanent disability, injury, and
damage to property. Accidents also causes numerous non-quantifiable impacts like loss of time,
grief to the near ones of the victim, and inconvenience to the public. The loss of life and
damage from natural disasters, industrial accidents, or epidemic often receive significant
attention from both government and public. This is because their occurrence is concentrated but
sparse. On the other hand, accidents from transport sector are widespread and occurs with
high frequency.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Environmental role of transportation
The negative effects of transportation are more dominating than its useful
aspects as far as transportation is concerned. There are numerous categories
into which the environmental effects have been categorized. They are
explained in the following sections.
Air Pollution
All transport modes consume energy and the most common source of energy is from the
burning of fossil fuels like coal, petrol, diesel, etc. The relation between air pollution and
respiratory disease has been demonstrated by various studies and the detrimental effects on
the planet earth are widely recognized recently. The combustion of the fuels releases several
contaminants into the atmosphere, including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of
nitrogen, and other particulate matter. Hydrocarbons are the result of incomplete combustion
of fuels. Particulate matters are minute solid or liquid particles that are suspended in the
atmosphere. They include aerosols, smoke, and dust particles. These air pollutants once emitted
into the atmosphere, undergo mixing and disperse into the surroundings.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Environmental role of transportation
The negative effects of transportation are more dominating than its useful
aspects as far as transportation is concerned. There are numerous categories
into which the environmental effects have been categorized. They are
explained in the following sections.
Noise pollution
Sound is acoustical energy released into atmosphere by vibrating or moving bodies where as
noise is unwanted sound produced. Transportation is a major contributor of noise pollution,
especially in urban areas. Noise is generated during both construction and operation. During
construction, operation of large equipments causes considerable noise to the neighborhood.
During the operation, noise is generated by the engine and exhaust systems of vehicle,
aerodynamic friction, and the interaction between the vehicle and the support system (road-
tire, rail-wheel). Extended exposure to excessive sound has been shown to produce physical
and psychological damage. Further, because of its annoyance and disturbance, noise adds to
mental stress and fatigue
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Environmental role of transportation
The negative effects of transportation are more dominating than its useful
aspects as far as transportation is concerned. There are numerous categories
into which the environmental effects have been categorized. They are
explained in the following sections.
Energy consumption
The spectacular growths in industrial and economic growth during the past century have been
closely related to an abundant supply of inexpensive energy from fossil fuels. Transportation
sector is unbelieved to consume more than half of the petroleum products. The compact of the
shortage of fuel was experienced during major wars when strict rationing was imposed in
many countries. The impact of this had cascading effects on many factors of society, especially
in the price escalation of essential commodities.
ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SOCIETY
Environmental role of transportation
The negative effects of transportation are more dominating than its useful
aspects as far as transportation is concerned. There are numerous categories
into which the environmental effects have been categorized. They are
explained in the following sections.
Other impacts
Transportation directly or indirectly affects many other areas of society and few of then are
listed below: Increased travel requirement also require additional land for transport facilities.
A good transportation system takes considerable amount of land from the society.
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Transport modes are the means by
which people and freight achieve
mobility. They fall into one of three
basic types, depending on over what
surface they travel – land (road, rail
and pipelines), water (shipping), and
air. Each mode is characterized by a
set of technical, operational and
commercial characteristics.
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Road transportation
Road infrastructures are large consumers of
space with the lowest level of physical constraints
among transportation modes. Road
transportation has an average operational
flexibility as vehicles can serve several purposes
but are rarely able to move outside roads. Road
transport systems have high maintenance costs,
both for the vehicles and infrastructures. They are
mainly linked to light industries where rapid
movements of freight in small batches are the
norm.
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Rail transportation
Railways are composed of traced paths on
which are bound vehicles. They have an
average level of physical constrains linked to
the types of locomotives and a low gradient
is required, particularly for freight Rail is by
far the land transportation mode offering
the highest capacity with a 23,000 tons fully
loaded coal unit train being the heaviest
load ever carried.
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipelines
Pipeline routes are practically unlimited as
they can be laid on land or under water. The
longest gas pipeline links Alberta to Sarnia
(Canada), which is 2,911 km in length. The
longest oil pipeline is the Transiberian,
extending over 9,344 km from the Russian
arctic oilfields in eastern Siberia to Western
Europe. Pipeline construction costs vary
according to the diameter and increase
proportionally with the distance and with the
viscosity of fluids (from gas, low viscosity, to
oil, high viscosity).
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime transportation
Because of the physical properties of water
conferring buoyancy and limited friction,
maritime transportation is the most effective
mode to move large quantities of cargo over
long distances. Main maritime routes are
composed of oceans, coasts, seas, lakes, rivers
and channels. The construction of channels, locks
and dredging are attempts to facilitate maritime
circulation by reducing discontinuity. Maritime
transportation has high terminal costs, since port
infrastructures are among the most expensive to
build, maintain and improve. More than any
other mode, maritime transportation is linked to
heavy industries, such as steel and petrochemical
facilities adjacent to port sites.
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Air transportation
Air transport constraints are multidimensional
and include the site (a commercial plane
needs about 3,300 meters of runway for
landing and take off), the climate, fog and
aerial currents. Air activities are linked to the
tertiary and quaternary sectors, notably
finance and tourism, which lean on the long-
distance mobility of people. More recently,
air transportation has been accommodating
growing quantities of high value freight and
is playing a growing role in global logistics.
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Intermodal transportation
Concerns a variety of modes used in combination
so that the respective advantages of each mode
are better exploited. Although intermodal
transportation applies for passenger movements,
such as the usage of the different, but
interconnected modes of a public transit system,
it is over freight transportation that the most
significant impacts have been observed.
Containerization has been a powerful vector of
intermodal integration, enabling maritime and
land transportation modes to more effectively
interconnect.