Development(history) of Transportation system in US(or California) - Essay Example

Historical Development of the U.S. Transportation System Introduction The United transportation system is one of the most complex in the world,and costs billions of dollars to the governments gross domestic product. It is the main system for facilitating freeways, highways, waterways and airways etc. The transportation system is not only a network of communication but also the vein which provide the commercial lifeblood for the country. The government is continuously striving to improve it with the aim to develop trade and commerce widely. For this purpose, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has been assigned with the responsibility of planning, implementing and developing the transportation system to meet the needs of the consumer. However, the development of the transportation system in the U.S. as it is today had not been achieved overnight. Its history dates back to the period before the evolution of the Department of Transportation. Perhaps, one could generalize it had been developed even before the country itself. Considering the significant contribution of the transportation system to todays economy, the researcher feels it is worth investigating this historical development and/or the factors which led to its existence today. In the following sections the researcher shall outline the early history of transportation in the United States, followed by a background of the formation of the transportation system of a nation, and a section on how urban transportation systems of today affect the planning of urban landscape, consumer needs and city development. Early History - Initial need for transport during the Indian eras One of the most significant aspects of transportation needs in the U.S. had been commercial endeavors. With the birth of the Republic, the U.S. transportation system also took form as river ways for voyagers and explorers but inland travel remained unexplored until the ingenious diplomat Silas Deane came into the picture. He wrote to the Secret Committee of Congress in 1776 and created a vision of utilization of the expansive wilderness comprising of millions of acres of land lying west of Virginia and South of Ohio River. He outlines it as advantageous to the government and advocated its development for township settlement. George Washington, a Virginian planter furthered this cause and argued for the commercial value of developing inland travel ways. Washington was motivated by the Mohawks strategic valley and its commercial route from seaboard to the West. According to his ideal, the young U.S. Republic could gain greatly by linking the Federal Union through a chain of pathways from the city of Detroit to New York by way of Niagara, Erie and Pennsylvania Canal (Hulbert 5). Following the Red Indian primeval pathways, such as the Mohawk River trail, the whites followed this strategy and developed offshoots of subsequent trade routes deep into the valleys and mountains of Kittanning Gorge Trail, Delaware Water Gap and Conemaugh. The purpose was to open routes for York, Lancaster and Chambersburg and neighboring regions of Pittsburgh and Chicago. In these endeavors the Potomac Company was a key player which was assigned by the legislatures of Maryland and Virginia in 1785 to head the development of waterways (Hulbert 14). Between 1785 and 1806, the Congress started to recognize the importance of developing lighthouses, beacons and buoys to facilitate the fledgling colonies. Washington signed a bill into a law in 1790 to authorize construction of coast guard boards to guard the river ways from smugglers but it was Thomas Jefferson who really initiated the federal highway program in 1806 which connected Ohio with the Eastern seaboard. It was perhaps this monumental development which actually started the "national transportation system" (DOT 2008). - Railroads needs for the public Till 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railway Act to start the Transcontinental Railroad, the development of the U.S. transportation system was slow (DOT 2008). Actual expansion, according to Hinshaw and Albig (27), took place between 1867 and 1873 when 32000 miles of railroads were constructed to facilitate the economic development of the nation compromised by the War. In fact, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad were the main players for engineering the 19th centurys greatest railroad system in the U.S. The Railroad organizations provided the principal forks into the less traversed areas of California during the Gold Rush period of 1850s and 1860s. The contribution of these companies was great as they were responsible for providing movement of goods, passengers, and commerce at immense distance between the states and outside the U.S. The Central Pacific Railroad was motivated by the quest for overcoming economic problems as well as exploring hard terrain across the U.S. They revolutionized the U.S. society and economy by laying 2000 miles of tracks across the wilderness, private lands and river ways under government subsidies, and made it possible for the East population to travel locally to the West coast of California (Orsi 5-6). Indeed, from these initial Railroad organizations emerged the Sacramento Valley, San Francisco & San Jose Railroad which united the communities, ignited agriculture and proliferated urban booms across the States (Orsi 4-7). However, these developments were later hindered by the public which passed restraining laws to curtail the unethical use of railroads in the West during 1873. Their rationale was that the lowered rates the government received for its shipments affected the railroad funds for development. Furthermore, they viewed the government’s undue advantage for availing the railroads at the cost of the public, unfair. Consequently from 1923 to 1928 railroad development significantly reduced. Issues of land and ethics plagued the statesmen and hindered the building of railroads further (Hinshaw and Albig 30). By 1930, airplanes appeared in the public sphere as means of transport which added to the woes of transportation system developers. By 1935, motor vehicles were also included to add to the efficient use of the national transportation system. The New Deal Era of 1933-145 under President Roosevelt played a significant role in developing motorways. During this Era, motor vehicles regulations were formulated especially regarding trucking and bus regulations which served the commercial consumers and public respectively. The legislations formulated were also proliferated to waterways and airways with the aim to facilitate the public with transportation, the industry with logistics and the public with rapid movement through airways. At the same time, the Wheeler-Lea Omnibus Transportation Act 1940 was also being formed to propose a revenue generation system for the transport system being developed (Whitnah 5-7). It was during this period that the proposal for a Department of Transportation was proposed by the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of Government (the First Hoover Commission) in 1947 which gave birth to the Office of Transportation and the Transportation Council in 1950 (Whitnah 7). Development of Transportation System - The formation of the Department of Transportation The formation of the Department of Transportation was a historic development in the study of transportation. The Office was established in 1951 with basic functionality such as supervisory, and regulations. Gradually, new laws were enacted specifically in the areas of highway revenue, trust funds, and establishment of component departments. Not until 1961 under President Kennedy did the Department of Transportation gained the status of having policy importance to the government and the public alike. From then onward, the DOT gained significant importance in having influence over mass transportation development, housing agency and urban planning (DOT 2008). - Political, social and economic factors leading to the formation of urban planning of transportation system Historians (Deverell and Deverell 10) attributed railroad as the core of the American urban landscape development. Growing together with the young Republic, railroad companies in California which initially were developed to cater to the Gold Rush, also benefitted the general public. Contradictory to the general belief, industrial capitalism was not the undermining factor for transport development but rather contributed towards it progress. The Southern Pacific Railroad for example was the monopolist but also the key provider of jobs and transportation. Through these railroad companies the state was able to make industrial progress during the 19th century and 20th century (Deverell and Deverell 21). Whitten and Whitten (21) in their study of "The Birth of Big Business in the United States" noted that railroad improved movements of goods and people. Even though societies found water travel easier, cheaper and faster than land travel, railroads overcame the limitation of living in remote areas, and opened up streets and localities in rural America as well as urban ones. Economic competition led the government to support and contribute towards additional systems to be built. Moreover, the development of private business motivated the private sector to further the transport interest. Improvement in highways, waterways and airways during the early years of the 20th century while the need for efficient communication led to the demand for even more efficient transportation and communication system after World War I (Whitten and Whitten 31). While development during the first half of the 20th century facilitated business boom, it also led to the proliferation of chaos, unethical business practices and monopolistic competition at the expense of the government and the public. For these reasons, during the 1970s, proposal for deregulation of the transportation system led policy makers. While for some, deregulation would have helped combat the currency deals, payoffs, bribes and penalties more efficiently, others viewed this move as the key compromising the thriving competition required for transportation system development. The proposal for deregulation was also imperative due to the fuel shortage crisis which was prevalent at the time (Whitnah 17). Despite these ongoing debates, the DOT continued with its progressive endeavors. - Transportation Planning In earlier periods of the century, urban settlements concentrated around waterways and railroads. However, by mid 20th century, this trend changed significantly. The growth and development of suburbs were possible with the development of traffic systems facilitated by a combination of motorways, waterways, airways and highways. Although, according to Weiner (16) the nations highways, transit facilities, and roads were in broken conditions in suburban areas due to financial crisis during the second half of the century, the government contributed significantly to ease urban travel by introducing special funds for planning of street systems, highway facilities, and routes. Using survey information from consumers, efficient transportation planning and system development were made possible. Moreover, transportation planning processes were formalized to govern traffic plans, highway inventories, classification, highway capacity, pavements, cost estimation and system planning were introduced during this period. States authority across the country set up transit authorities to develop transit system to increase ridership. It was the "dawn of analytical methods" according to Weiner (19). Routes were planned, origin-destination pairs were linked, urban consumer patterns were used to mark different travel behavior in planning processes and framework of land, water and air travel needs were forecasted for better traffic management. These processes were managed by the transportation and urban planning commissions authorized by the state government. Thus, unlike the 19th century in which railroads dominated the transportation scenario, the 20th century saw the development of motor vehicle travel. The 20th century relied greatly on motor vehicle transportation system for mobility, commerce and social interaction. The urban landscape likewise reflected this development (Hinshaw and Albig 232). Urban Transportation System - Sustainable Transportation System Development Today, transportation system development in the U.S. is concentrated on sustainability, economic contribution, environment, governmental efficiency and competitiveness of the nation. Benfield (651) is of the view that efficiency is the only factor that one needs to develop a transportation system. Economic cost for transporting goods and passengers, fuel consumption implications, pollution, and urban sprawl and congestion are some of the factors that motivate the government to invest profoundly in developing the national transportation system. Sustainability is inherent in the governments ability to develop a transportation system which would address these economic and social needs in the short and long term. Not only this, the national transportation system should also serve the consumer in an equitable and fair manner (Bullard 1183). It should improve on performance, productivity and passenger appeal through improved technology such as automatic headway recorders, station time clocks, telecommunication systems, two-way radios, automatic vehicle location and control system. Indeed, Levinson points out that the U.S. transportation system now should concentrate on improving reliability, through transit practice, service planning, and research to better serve the community (Levinson 99). Moreover, according to the American Public Transportation Association (1), given the competitive world economy today, metropolitan regions are growing dramatically, and critical investments are needed to improve capacity for growth, especially in transportation system and, facilitate trade and commerce. While the U.S. government spends a huge amount on transportation, external investment is needed to restore the nations competitive edge among economic rivals (APTA 2). Conclusion From the above discussion one can conclude that the U.S. transportation system has undergone dramatic change processes spanning from the 18th to the 21st century. Its developmental journey started from waterways to mass transit systems of today. The emergence of such a complex transport system had come about through political, economic and social endeavors. From Red Indians during the 18th century to the Gold Rush consumers to the modern transit travelers, these consumers have paved the way for the U.S. transportation system. However, these developmental factors would not have achieved its objectives had it not been for the contribution of business community. Although, they had been motivated by their own interests, nevertheless they were the first "planners" who had literally paved the way for linking settlements, towns and metropolis. Regardless of the players and factors, the U.S. transportation system today is clearly one which deserves admiration. Bibliography APTA. The world economy is moving. Can America keep up? American Public Transportation Association 2007. Benfield, F. Kaid. Running on Empty: The Case for a Sustainable National Transportation System. Environmental Law, Vol. 25, 1995. Bullard, Robert D. Addressing Urban Transportation Equity in the United States. Fordham Urban Law Journal, Vol. 31, 2004 p. 1183+. Department of Transportation Official Website: http://dotlibrary.dot.gov/Historian/chronology.htm#before Deverell, William Francis and Deverell, William. Railroad Crossing: Californians and the Railroad, 1850-1910. University of California Press, 1996. Hinshaw, David, and Albig, Espey. Stop, Look and Listen: Railroad Transportation in the United States. Doubleday, Doran. Garden City, NY. 1932, p. 27. Hulbert, Archer B. The Paths of Inland Commerce: A Chronicle of Trail, Road and Waterway. Yale University Press, Toronto, Glasgow, Brook & Co. 1920. Levinson, Herbert S. The Reliability of Transit Service: An Historical Perspective. Journal of Urban Technology, Volume 12, Number 1, 2005 pp. 99–118. Orsi, Richard J. Sunset Limited: The Southern Pacific Railroad and the Development of the American West, 1850-1930, University of California Press May 2005. Weiner, Edward. Urban Transportation Planning in the United States: An Historical Overview. Praeger: Westport, CT 1999. Whitnah, Donald R. U.S. Department of Transportation: A Reference History. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT.1998. Whitten, David O. and Whitten, Bessie E. The Birth of Big Business in the United States, 1860-1914: Commercial, Extractive, and Industrial Enterprise. Praeger: Westport, CT. 2006 p. 19. Read More