My piece "Modes of Transportation" will appear in an upcoming issue of Appleseeds, a social studies magazine. Appleseeds bought all rights but gave permission for me to run the article on my blog. Here it is.
Modes of Transportation
by Rebecca Kellogg
Bus, boat, passeo, or car. People must travel--wherever they are!
How do people travel through the cities of the world?
Boat--Venice is built on an archipelago of 118 islands. Instead of roads, the city has canals. People travel by motorized waterbus or by gondola, or they use bridges to cross canals by foot.
Rickshaw--In some areas of Bangladesh, rickshaws are the only vehicles that fit the narrow streets. Many countries are replacing runner-pulled rickshaws with bicycle-powered pedicabs.
Cable car--In San Fransisco, cable cars move safely up and down steep city hills. Cable cars are propelled forward by gripping a moving cable.
Maglev train--In Shanghai a Maglev train rides above the rails, lifted by magnetic force. This train rushes from downtown to Pudong airport at up to 311 miles per hour.
Subway systems--in major cities including New York, Moscow, Tokyo, and London, subway trains run below ground. Riding underground has advantages--no stopping for surface traffic. But the subway can be crowded with many riders.
Steam train--In India and some African countries, steam trains are still used to transport people.
Why do different places use different kinds of transport? A city may choose a type of transportation because it suits that area's climate and terrain, because of cost, or to protect nature.
Cost can affect transportation choices greatly.
"In wealthy countries people might ride a brand new high-speed electric train," said transit planners Steven Brye and Sarah Manning in an email interview. "In some parts of the world like in India and Africa, people still ride steam-locomotive drawn trains because they cannot yet afford new trains."
In other situations transportation choices protect nature.
San Francisco's "Spare the Air" campaign asks people to take public transportation to work or to school to reduce pollution. In St. Paul, Minnesota, a light rail train was built as part of a movement to encourage better air quality. Sydney, Australia, also has a light rail system--and it runs twenty-four hours a day.
SIDEBAR: WALKING IN CITIES
In many cities people travel by foot.
Apartments, schools, and stores are close together. To travel further people can use light rail, subways, buses, and taxis.
In Santa Clarita, California, a network of paved paths called "paseos" connect homes, stores, and schools. Residents can walk or bike on the paseos while enjoying California's mild climate.
Some cities are friendlier to foot traffic than others.
"Cities that were built before cars became popular and accessible, like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, usually have more public transit and are easier to walk around," said transit planners Steven Brye and Sarah Manning in an email interview.
In some parts of the world, after the car became popular many cities removed streetcars and other mass transit. Today, much work is being done to rebuild efficient public transportation.
