The New Age Of Transportation

Before the industrial age, people got around slowly on foot and horseback, in carriages, and sailing in tall ships. With the invention of the steam engine in the late 18^th Century, people moved around faster in steamships and trains pulled by steam locomotives. Then 135 years ago the motorcycle and the automobile changed the way we moved around. Transportation has evolved into a lifestyle comfort where most everyone has one or more gas-guzzling vehicles which with an overabundance is now creating chaos in our cities with traffic congestion and destroying the environment. Even the inefficient public transportation systems are contributing to the problem.

These transportation dilemmas need to be addressed immediately, especially since 68% of the world’s population is expected to be living in urban areas by 2050 -before it becomes total chaos. For over a century we knew that the burning of fossil fuels is contributing to destroying the environment. Progress has been made to address some of these problems as today’s vehicles have become more efficient, smaller and more eco-friendly. As fossil fuels are being taxed heavily to curb climate change, manufacturers are now producing hybrid and electric cars that have a lower Cost of Ownership while helping preserve the environment.  

To avoid traffic congestion many are now living closer to work and using electric scooters and bicycles to get around. In fact, there are many new unique forms of personal electrical transportation available from folding electric bikes, unicycles, scooters, skateboards, and mopeds that can travel freely on designated bike lanes and maneuver easily through congested traffic. There are even choices for Smaller Electric Cars that are quite nimble maneuvering in traffic.

Public transportation has evolved with buses getting their own roads with the development of Bus Rapid Transit Systems, Light Rail Transport, and electric trolleys. In order to cover large distances rapidly airplanes were equipped with rocket engines and high-speed trains and monorails now travel up to 600 km/hr. The talk about a high-speed train between Calgary and Edmonton has just been upgraded to the TransPod's Hyperloop where we can travel between the cities in 30 minutes at the ultra-speed of almost 1000 km/hr.

Rapid advancing technology is shifting public transportation into the future with flying cars and air taxis. Soon we can fly over the congested traffic in an Uber Air Taxi and get to our destinations without stress in record time. Soon, we won’t need a driver with the progress in autonomous vehicles. Cars, buses, and taxis, both ground and air transportation, are already available with a driverless option.

In the future, the need to redesign cities is required with the development of more local self-sustainable communities where people will use smaller personal transportation to quickly and easily get to local destinations. The large gas-guzzling vehicles will disappear and become smaller, more personalized, and lighter as eco-friendly electric vehicles. Imagine riding your electric bike to a local Air Taxi and get downtown in minutes from the suburbs and rent an electric scooter to travel a few blocks to your destination. Avoiding the stress of travelling congested traffic makes for a much more pleasant trip.