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Transport's Role in Economic Development

1. Land transport in Cameroon includes a network of national roads as well as secondary roads, some of which are tarred while others are untarred. The national roads connect all major cities and cover around 30,000 km. 2. Water transport within Cameroon is primarily through ports along the Atlantic coast and on lakes. The major ports are located in Douala and Kribi. Ferries also operate on Lake Nyos and Lake Chad. 3. Air transport is mainly through the country's largest airport in Douala, with other international airports in Yaounde, Garoua, and Maroua. Camair

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43 views5 pages

Transport's Role in Economic Development

1. Land transport in Cameroon includes a network of national roads as well as secondary roads, some of which are tarred while others are untarred. The national roads connect all major cities and cover around 30,000 km. 2. Water transport within Cameroon is primarily through ports along the Atlantic coast and on lakes. The major ports are located in Douala and Kribi. Ferries also operate on Lake Nyos and Lake Chad. 3. Air transport is mainly through the country's largest airport in Douala, with other international airports in Yaounde, Garoua, and Maroua. Camair

Uploaded by

beryl tchakounte
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1.

1 INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPORTATION

From the beginning of history, human sensitivity has revealed an urge for mobility
leading to a measure of Society's progress. The history of this mobility or transport is the
history of civilization. For any country to develop with right momentum modern and
efficient Transport as a basic infrastructure is a must. It has been seen throughout the
history of any nation that a proper, extensive and efficient Road Transport has played a
major role. ‘Transporters' perform one of the most important activities, at every stage of
advanced civilization. Where roads are considered as veins and arteries of a nation,
passenger and goods transported are likened to blood in circulation. Passenger Road
Transport Service (PRTS) is an essential connected to the economic development.
Transport is the essential convenience with which people not just connect but progress.
Throughout history, people's progress has been sustained on the convenience, speed
and safety of the modes of transport. Road transport occupies a primary place in to-day's
world as it provides a reach unparallel by any other contemporary mode of transport.

1.2 TRANSPORT
Transport (British English) or transportation (American English) is the movement of
people and goods from one place to another. The term is derived from the Latin trans
("across") and portare ("to carry").

1.3 FUNCTIONS OF TRANSPORT

1. Transport contributes in Growth of industries whose product requires quick


marketing. Perishable articles like fish and green vegetables are carried to various
consumers quickly even in distant markets through transport.

2. Transport helps in increase in the demand for goods. Through transport newer
customers in newer places can be easily contacted and products can be introduced to
them. Today markets have become national or international only because of transport.

3. Transport creates place utility. Geographical and climatic factors force industries to
be located in particular places far away from the markets and places where there may
not be any demand for the products. Transport bridges the gap between production and
consumption centers.

4. Transport creates time utility. Of late transport has started creating the time utility
also. It has been made possible by virtue of the improvements in the speed of transport.
It helps the product to be distributed in the minimum possible time.

5. Transport helps in stabilization of price. Transport exerts considerable influence


upon the stabilization of the prices of several commodities by moving commodities from
surplus to deficit areas. This equalizes the supply and demand factor sand makes the
price of commodities stable as well as equal.

6. Transport ensures even flow of commodities into the hands of the consumers
through out the period of consumption.

7. Transport enables the consumers to enjoy the benefits of goods not produced
locally. This increases the standard of living, an essential factor for further development
of marketing and economy.
8. Transport identifies competition, which in turn, reduces pries. Prices are also
reduced because of the facilities offered by transport for large-scale production.
Advantages op large-scale production is possible only due to transport.

9. Transport increases mobility of labor and capital. It makes people of one place
migrate to other places in search of jobs. Even capital, machineries and equipments are
imported from foreign countries through transport alone.

1.4 MEANS OF TRANSPORT

The means of transport are classified on the basis of the way, the vehicle, the
motive power used and terminals.

Chart 1.1
Means of Transport

1. LAND TRANSPORT
Land Transport may be classified as
Pathways:

In remote villages, forest and hilly areas pathways are still an important amongst the
different modes of transport. It further be subdivided into Head loads (is also known as
human transport. It is used in the hilly areas where even animals cannot reach) and Pack
animals (is also known as animal transport. It is used in the backward areas. The
animals like horse, pony,donkey, ass, buffaloes, camel, elephant, yak, sheep etc. are
used for this purpose.

Roadways:

Road Transport is one of the most important modes of transport. The history of Road
Transport started from ancient civilizations. Gradually it becomes more and more
polpular means of transport. Road Transport further subdivided into Vehicular Transport
(Cars, Trucks, Buses, Lorries, Autoricksaws, Bullock Carts, Tongas, Tumtums, and Hand
Carts etc.) and Non-vehicular Transport (Hamals, Animals like Camel, Dogs, Elephant,
Horse, Mules etc.)

Tramways:

Tramway is one of the cheaper, longer, quicker and safer modes of Land Transport
which is suitable in large cities. However due to certain limitations like slowly ness, huge
investment, inflexibility etc. gradually it replaced by other means of Land Transport.

Railways:

Railway has been the pioneer of modern mechanical transport. It has brought the
greatest revolution in transport. It accelerated commercial and industrial development of
various countries

2. WATER TRANSPORT

Water transport is the cheapest and the oldest form of transport for heavy goods and
bulk cargoes. Waterways are the natural gifts, hence it does not required large amount of
capital expenditure for the construction of road and railway tracks, except canal
transport, as in the case of land transport. In addition to that the cost of running is also
very less. Water transport may be classified as under:

Chart 1.3
Modes of Water Transport

A INLAND WATERWAYS

Inland waterways may be subdivided into

River Transport:
Rivers are the water highways given by nature. River Transport is suitable for small
boats and steamers. It was highly developed in the pre-railway days. But with the
development of railways, river transport was neglected and decayed gradually.

Canal Transport:
Canals are the artificial waterways constructed for the purpose of navigation and
irrigation.

B OCEAN TRANSPORT

Ocean Transport or shipping may be subdivided into

Coastal Shipping:
Coastal shipping is a cheaper, speedy, flexible and economical form of transport for the
movement of bulky and heavy cargoes. Usually coastal shipping trade is reserved for the
national shipping.

Overseas Shipping:

On the basis of their working, overseas shipping may be divided into The Liner (those
ships which follow defined routes with fixed places and fixed time table), The Tramps
(those ships which have no set routes or fixed time table) and The Oil Tanker (special
sea carriers of crude oil in very large quantity). The Liners may again be subdivided into
Passenger Liners and the Cargo Liners.
3. AIR TRANSPORT

Air transport is the gift of twentieth century to the world. It is the latest means of
transport. The first flight in the air was made in [Link] for twelve seconds.
Successfully it was used as a means of transport after the First World War (1914-1918).
The first air service was started in 1919 between London and Paris. Since then it has
made notable progress and provide tough competition to Railways. Air Transport can
again be subdivided into passenger and cargo.

Chart 1.4
Means of Air Transport

1.

HOMEWORK 1

1. Road Transport in CAMEROON (national roads, secondary roads tarred


roads untarred etc. maps and distances)
2. Airline And Water Transport in CAMEROON

Common questions

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Transport stabilizes prices by facilitating the movement of goods from areas with surpluses to areas with deficits, thus balancing supply and demand across regions. This mechanism ensures that price fluctuations are minimized, promoting economic stability and equalizing commodity prices .

Transport significantly enhances labor and capital mobility by providing the means for people to migrate to different locations in search of employment opportunities, and enabling the import of capital, machinery, and equipment from other countries. This facilitates not only local economic development but also global economic integration and growth .

River transport declined with the advent of railways due to railways’ faster speeds, greater reliability, and ability to operate year-round without dependence on natural waterway conditions. Unlike rivers, which can be seasonal and limited in navigable routes, railways offer consistently scheduled and more direct transportation options .

Road transport has been fundamental to socio-economic development by enabling the movement of people and goods efficiently and widely, which facilitates economic transactions and promotes industrial growth. It connects production and consumption centers, creating both place and time utility. Through equalizing supply and demand, it stabilizes prices and allows access to non-local goods, thereby raising living standards and enabling large-scale production .

Liners follow predefined routes with fixed schedules and destinations, making them dependable for regular cargo and passenger services. In contrast, tramp ships operate without set routes or schedules, proving flexible for chartered services depending on market demand. Liners provide stability, while tramps offer adaptability and responsiveness .

Tramways offer a cheaper, longer, quicker, and safer mode of transportation in large cities. However, they require significant investments and lack flexibility, which has resulted in them being gradually replaced by other more modern and adaptable forms of land transport .

Transport systems create time utility by ensuring goods can be distributed swiftly to meet market demands, reducing the time products remain in storage and ensuring timely consumption. This is vital in modern economies where just-in-time manufacturing and perishable goods require quick delivery to maintain product quality and consumer satisfaction, thus optimizing the supply chain efficiency .

Since its inception in 1919, air transport has significantly impacted international trade by offering rapid and reliable movement of both passengers and cargo, fostering global business interactions and supply chains. It competes directly with railways and has revolutionized how industries operate on a global scale, providing a critical infrastructure for the global economy .

Transport facilitates large-scale production by expanding market reach and enabling efficient distribution of goods, thus lowering production costs through economies of scale. It fosters competition by allowing new entrants to reach wider markets, reducing monopoly power, and driving price reductions due to increased competitive pressure .

Coastal shipping is economically advantageous for national economies since it is a cheaper, faster, and more flexible transport mode for bulky and heavy cargo. It also supports national shipping by often being reserved for domestic trade, which can stimulate local manufacturing and distribution sectors .

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