Means of transport
A means of transport indicates a particular form of Transport which is characterized mainly by the vehicle used, and consequently by the infrastructure which it implements. When several means of transport are associated to contribute to the realization of an operation of transport, it is the term multimodality which is used.
What this article does not have vocation to describe
Transport or displacement, transmission, provisioning
As he is written in the article Transport, one thus should not confuse displacements (use of conveying belts, for example), the transmissions (by electric cable, fiberoptics), the routings or supplies (by pipelines, or aqueducts, for example) and transport, which implements vehicles strictly speaking.
Transport or locomotion
One should not either confuse transport and the locomotion: for example, the Walk, the race, the Roller skate, the Child's scooter, the racket, the Bicycle and so much of others, are modes of locomotion, because they are used only for " déplacer" , and not to move something of other that oneself.
Transport or motorization
One should not either confuse the mode of propulsion (or of traction) and the means of transport.For example, propulsion (or traction) perhaps animal (draft animals), wind mill (by the wind by using veils), motorized (thermal engine or electrical motors).
Before the Industrial revolution and the invention of the steam engine and spark-ignition engine, for example, only these energy sources was generally used to generate the movement. By effect of mode, these renewable energy sources recently resulted in qualifying these energies of " douces" ; by assimilation, when that a transport or a displacement is carried out by means of a vehicle using this type of energy, it is of use to name it " doux" transport;. Etymologiquement, this denomination east cannot be not more relevant.
Various modes of propulsion like those using the man like engine or the animal haulage to drive a Wheelbarrow, a Rickshaw…. and so much of other machines, will not be approached in this article, because it does not have vocation to describe the engines, the energy sources, or the modes of propulsion.
Relation between the means of transport and its medium
The means of transport is in relation to the medium where the freight vehicles evolve/move: terrestrial: (guided transport, in general and rail-bound Transport in particular), Road transport; maritime; river or by channels; aerospace: (space Transport and Air transport).
Choice of the means of transport
See also: Transport
To transport a person or goods of a point to another, it is possible to use several means of transport successively. The reasons of cost, speed and safety guide the choice of the means of transport which will be implemented. Sometimes, it is the geography (skirting or crossing of natural obstacles), the climate and more generally the environment which oblige to use a means of transport (islands, mountains, floods,…)
- to reduce the cost, it is interesting to borrow either of the collective means of transport train), or of the means of transport of great capacity ((barges, container ship,…), that is to say both. The beginning of the route aims then to join the least expensive means of transport; the last part of the route is used to join the point of final destination.
- to reduce the duration, it is interesting to borrow relatively fast means of transport (car, train at high speed plane,…). The beginning of the route aims then to join this time the fastest means of transport; the last part of the route is used to join the point of final destination.
- the same reasoning can apply to the research of safety.
The combination of various vehicles of various means of transport to carry out the same way names multimode Transport. When the same vehicle is able to practice several means of transport, the vehicle is known as general-purpose (hovercraft, amphibious vehicles.), but the means of transport is not multimode.
Road transport
See also: Road transport
Road transport appeared in first (transport with back of men, animal haulage)
The rail-bound transport with long distance then developed, in particular in the industrialized countries, as from the moment when the Steam engine was invented.
Lastly, road transport by cars intensified, in particular in the industrialized countries, thanks to the invention of the Engine spark-ignition , with the Taylorisation of the production, reducing the cost price of the vehicles, with the increase in standard of living, the availability of the containing hydrocarbon , and also by the construction of many and dense road infrastructures.
Always in the industrialized countries, road transport with long distance, transports more quantities of goods (in ton-kilometers per annum) and travellers (in kilometers per annum) that the rail-bound transport (the statistical data will be provided later).
This phenomenon is probably dependant:
- with the line-flow production of the car, and with the reduction of its cost price, in the industrialized countries
- with the rise in remunerations, always in the industrialized countries
- with the construction of many and dense infrastructures, once again, only in the industrialized countries
- with largest the flexibility brought by road transport, whereas the railway freight remained rigid.
Even if the evolution of the automobile systems continues in many fields (composite materials, mixed engines, electronics, data processing, guidance,….) in 2007, the environmental problems, related to combustion gases responsible for the Greenhouse effect, the clogging of the cities and the consequences on the health of pollution worry certain nations and certain governments. It is probable that many evolutions will still intervene. It should be noted that the heavy trucks re-press 6,3% of the km parcourrus (figure 2004) and 8,9% of the accidents fatal; 13,7% of killed on the road are it in an accident with a heavy poid.
Rail-bound transport
See also: rail-bound Transport, Railroad
unfavourable Factors with their extension
The rail-bound transport knew its apogee between the two World wars, then gradually declined in second half of the 20th century, with contrasted enough situations from one country to another. In many countries, the railway companies had evil to find their economic equilibrium and the State must intervene in the management of the railroads, which require important investments.
Factors favorable to their extension
Two relatively recent evolutions mark an inflection in this general evolution. It is:
- For the passenger transport, in some privileged countries, the advent of the high speed
- Always for the travellers, the Megalopolis S whose asphyxiation by the products of combustion (of the motor vehicles, in particular), could be slowed down by implementing Public transport railway (Tramway, Métros…).
- For the goods the development of the Transport combined which uses technology rail-road, ensuring in particular of the “terrestrial bridges” between the two coasts of the North America and in Eurasia by the Transsibérien.
- capacity of the rail-bound transports to develop a great power, starting from electricity, contrary to road transport.
Other guided transport
See also: Transport guided
- Cable car | Monorail Telpher carrier
- | Hovertrain
- Train with magnetic lift
River transport
See also: River transport
Transport by water (River S and channels) revêt several advantages: it is very economic because inexpensive in energy, it makes it possible to transport very important tonnages, which makes of it massive means of transport little polluting, but it is slow, which can represent a logistic advantage, while making it possible to save in expenses of storage (the warehouse, it is the boat). Its disadvantages, in addition to the slowness of routing in certain cases (for example which obliges to produce more stocks since they are present… on the boat), resident in the weakness of the network of the inland waterways very unequally distributed and in the need of final transport, except the case of “wet” industries, to ensure carry-with door.
The river transport keeps a significant importance for goods transport in the countries equipped with a Réseau of the waterways inland equipped or supported well by the Hydrographie. It is marginal enough for the passenger transport, except in certain cities (Venice) or in certain countries.
Transport by fixed installations
See also: Transport by fixed installations
It is not, strictly speaking, of transport, since there is no vehicle.
They are primarily the Conduites adapted to the routing of Liquide S or Gaz: pipeline, méthanoduc, gas pipeline,… This mode of routing has specific applications. It revêt a great importance in the oil sectors and chemical.
With short and very short distance, one also uses:
- the convoying by band in particular for the construction materials, the Ore S and the coal;
- propulsion by Air pulsated or tire.
In the field of the travellers, let us announce the travelators, the escalators and the Ascenseur S.
Maritime transport
See also: Maritime transport
The maritime transport is vital for the international Commerce and has a quasi-monopoly for the massive exchanges (in particular oil transport) with long distance for which it is without question the most economic mode if not the only possible one. It is also very important for the exchanges at short distance (coastal traffic) in the areas irrigated well by the seas; it is in particular the case of the Europe bathed by several seas: the North Sea, the Baltic, Handle, the Mediterranean. In passenger transport, two crenels are important; that of cruisings and that of the short crossings, standard transmanche.
Multimode transport
See also: intermodal Transport
Multimode transport, or intermodal transport, or combined transport, consists in ensuring a transport by borrowing successively various means of transport. It relates to especially the goods.
Sea - road
It especially developed need for ensuring the terrestrial continuation of the ocean freight by simplifying harbor handling. It is maritime transport which was born the standardization from the Conteneur S.
Rail-road
Terrestrial combined transport relates to especially the transport combined rail-road, which makes call in addition to the containers with mobile cases and Semi-remorque S. an alternative, exploited punctually is the travelling road or rail expressway which consists in transferring onto Train S of the complete heavy trucks (tractor + trailer + driver) the following the example of the Shuttle of Eurotunnel.In spite of its advantages for the Community, transport combined sorrow to be developed and occupies a marginal place in certain countries, like France, because of the many social movements which discourage from the potential customers using it.
In a form of transport combined the individual vehicle of the traveller accompanies it on board the average collective: train+voiture, train+vélo, shuttles of the Channel tunnel.
Air transport
See also: Air transport
Last means of transport appeared during the 20th century, initially reserved for an elite, it was quickly democratized, monopolizing the transcontinental connections and eliminating the last Paquebot S deck chairs.
It became truly a transport of mass with the appearance of the carrying large planes and the airline companies at low prices.
Its supremacy is disputed by the trains at high speed on the ways of less than three hours (for example in France, where the TGV exists).
It starts to come up against limits because of the obstruction of the sky and the noise pollutions more and more badly accepted by the residents of the Aéroport S.
He addresses himself mainly to the travellers, but the transport of air cargo develops more and more with the startup of airfreighters specialized.
The airship was studied for the transport of cumbersome loadings.
Space transport
See also: space Transport
There remains still field of the experimentation.