Transportation is a basic need of society. Transportation is the artery of commerce and community and is as important as food, water, shelter, and clean air. People have been working on better ways to move around since our earliest civilizations, making transportation engineering one of the oldest forms of engineering. One of engineering’s earliest and most powerful creations was, after all, the wheel. The development of roads soon followed. It is amazing to think that many of the early roads that connected the vast Roman Empire are still in use carrying wheeled traffic today.
The industrial revolution brought new opportunities for movement. Powered transportation changed the landscape. Previously, most major cities were tied to sailing vessels and ocean ports. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore all depended upon ocean-based transportation. Steam engines allowed expansion inland. Steamboats fueled the growth of St. Louis, which became the nation’s 4th largest city by 1870. The railroads that followed created new cities such as Chicago and Atlanta. Steam power shrunk the continent. No longer did it take months to travel across the country, you could get there by train in less than a week.
Today, we are more mobile than ever before. We can cross the country by air in a few hours and visit distant parts of the world in a day. We can get to places that we want to be easier than ever before. We can also easily get things we want from distant places too. Look at the things around you. How many of those objects were manufactured in your home city or state? Our modern transportation systems have changed manufacturing and distribution systems and have ushered in a global marketplace of everyday things.
So, what’s next?
Today’s world is changing at a rapid rate. As the invention of the wheel, powered engines, automobile, and airplane changed society, we are on the verge of another game-changer. New technology is changing how transportation works. These advancements have been named transportation disrupters. Companies like Uber and Lyft have created a new type of “shared mobility”, providing a convenient travel option for people wishing to leave their car at home, or do without one altogether. Our vehicles and smart-phones provide us with real-time traffic, routing, and public transport information. Companies are proposing new modes of travel such as Hyperloop and pilotless air-taxis.
The next big changes are just around the corner. Automakers and public agencies will soon be deploying Connected Vehicle technologies across the country. These technologies will allow vehicles to communicate directly with each other and with parts of the infrastructure. Your vehicle will be able to alert you to hazards before you can see them. These technologies have the potential to save thousands of lives every year. At the same time, private companies are working on the development of self-driving vehicles. This new technology promises an unprecedented level of convenience and mobility. Imagine being able to send your car to the store to pick up groceries while you spend quality time with your family at home. Imagine your car dropping you off at the ball-park and parking itself. The possibilities for this technology are almost endless.
These new technologies will have a major impact on our society. They will change how cities function, how they grow, where they expand. They will reduce traffic deaths and injuries. They also raise serious questions. Will these new technologies reduce congestion by minimizing traffic-jams due to roadway crashes, or will the new-found convenience encourage more travel and increase congestion? Will people give up their cars and use new self-driving shared mobility services in the urban core, or will “productive” commute times encourage people to live further out, resulting in even more urban sprawl? Can these technologies be used to support public transportation systems or will they compete against them? Will all people have access to these new technologies, or will only the well-off benefit? Perhaps most importantly, how can these technologies help us accomplish safe and equitable mobility for all users, economic and environmental sustainability, and livable and healthy communities? All of these issues need to be addressed proactively.
There is a lot of work to do in transportation engineering, and there are endless opportunities for new ideas and innovations. Would you like to participate in this growing area of engineering? What transportation problems do you think need fixing? What ideas do you have to make our world more connected and improve our communities? The transportation professionals at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) have active groups and ongoing discussions related to transportation safety, active transportation, Connected and Self-Driving Vehicles, and Smart Communities. We would love for you to join the discussion and help to shape the future of transportation. Join us at ite.org.