SLM 1: CDI 3

• The history of transportation can be divided into periods characterized by different sources of mobile power
• The first form of transportation was human foot power
• Stone Age man's transportation of firewood and animals led to the invention of the sled and later skis
• The wheel, likely invented in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley before 3500 B.C., was a significant advancement in land transportation
• Animal muscle power, like the ox, ass, camel, and horse, played a crucial role in transportation
• The invention of the bit and bridle gave control of the horse for riding or driving before 3000 B.C.
• The horse collar, invented around 900 A.D., revolutionized the use of horses as draft animals
• Primitive man may have used crude sails of skin on crafts or canoes for wind power
• The horseshoe, invented in Gaul around Julius Caesar's time, was crucial for protecting horses' hooves on hard roads
• The ship's compass reached Europe around 1200, greatly aiding sea transportation
• The development of three-mast ships around 1450 marked a significant improvement in shipbuilding
• The Romans brought road building to its peak in ancient times, with a network of about 50,000 miles of roads, including feeder roads branching out from main highways
• Roman roads were costly due to the assumption that deep foundations made of heavy stones were necessary for roads to carry heavy traffic for many years
• John L. Macadam perfected the macadamized road in England around 1815, which replaced the Roman road construction methods
• Macadam's roads had a dry native soil base and a surface made of rounded and rolled small stones to prevent rainwater from running off
• The development of road vehicles saw significant improvement with the adoption of coach springs around 1650
• In the mid-18th century, English roads were so poor that coaches could only average about 4 mph, leading to the proposal of a system of fast, light coaches for mail delivery by John Palmer
• The development of canals and later railroads solved the problem of heavy transportation in the 18th and 19th centuries
• The first American canal, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River at Albany, opened in 1825
• The development of steamboats preceded the steam locomotive, with Robert Fulton's Clermont making the first successful steamboat journey up the Hudson River in 1807
• The bicycle played a significant role in transportation history, leading to improvements throughout the 19th century until the safety bicycle with pneumatic tires appeared
• The future of mechanical road transport shifted to vehicles driven by internal combustion engines, pioneered by Frenchman Etienne Lenoir and German inventors Nicolaus Otto and Gottlieb Daimler
• The era of air transportation began with the development of the internal combustion engine, leading to significant advances in aircraft propulsion
• The Philippines has a unique transportation system due to its geography, with an extensive road network of over 199,950 kilometers, including paved and unpaved roads
• Barangay roads in the Philippines are mostly unpaved village-access roads built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
• Responsibility for maintaining barangay roads has been devolved to the Local Government Units (LGUs)
• Farm-to-market roads in the Philippines are financed by the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Agriculture
• Buses in the Philippines operate throughout the country, with routes running everywhere, including islands other than Luzon
• Mass transit in the Philippines ranges from boats (bangka) to trains, with the most common form of transport being the jeepney
• Despite having a large road network in the country, only 20% of the total road network is paved
• The jeepney is a uniquely Filipino invention, evolved from surplus World War II jeeps, and operates as a mini-bus carrying 16 to 30 passengers
• Other forms of mass transit in the Philippines include taxis, mini-buses, tricycles, kuliglig, kalesa, pedicabs, and sidecars
• Rail transport in the Philippines is managed by the Philippine National Railways, with a significant network of narrow-gauge tracks
• The word "traffic" originates from the Greco-Roman word "TRAFICO" and has evolved over time to refer to the movement of people and goods
• Traffic control devices include traffic signs, pavement markings, traffic lights, and traffic islands, each serving specific functions in regulating traffic
• Advantages of signal installation in traffic control include orderly movement of traffic, reduced accidents, and increased traffic handling capacity at intersections
• Disadvantages of traffic signal installation include increased total intersection delay during off-peak hours
• Traffic Installation:

  • Aims to regulate the flow of traffic at a definite speed along a given route
  • Increases traffic handling capacity of intersections
• Disadvantages of Traffic Installation:

  1. Increases total intersection delay during off-peak periods

  2. May lead to a probable increase in accidents in certain scenarios

  3. Causes unnecessary delay, especially in rear-end collisions

  4. Can result in the use of less adequate routes to avoid signals
• Primary Aims of Signal Control:

  1. Reduce traffic conflicts and delay

  2. Decrease accidents

  3. Economize police time