ROADS AND VEHICLES HISTORY

Concept

As man, from ancient times to the 20th century, sought to make their transport facilities
more efficient, they have always endeavored to move people and property with the least
expenditure of time, effort, and money.

It was stated in the preceding lesson that man first traveled, by foot. Then, primitive man
supplemented their own carrying of goods and possessions by starting to domesticate
animals training them to bear small loads and pull crude sleds.

The following are some of the inventions and innovations and important events that lead
to modern land transportation:

A. WHEEL was invented probably in Western Asia such invention was a milestone and
a great step forward in transportation. As wheel was perfected, crude carts and wagons
began to appear in TIGRIS EUPHRATES VALLEY about 3500 B.C., and later in
CRETE, EGYPT and CHINA. The wheel was one of man's great inventions. It enabled
him to transport burdens beyond the power of man or animals to carry or drag, and
permitted much greater facility of movements than the simple sledge on rollers which
had to be continually picked up and moved by hands as the sledge is advanced. The
following were some of the earliest types of wheeled carts:

1. Solid wheels on fixed axle this ancient cart represent an early step in the evolution of
wheeled vehicles. Its solid wheels, which were made of a single piece of wood, rotated
on single axle.

2. Sumerian chariot with flank wheels this chariot, of about 2400 B.C., had solid wheels
built up of three pieces, and so was more durable than the one-piece wheel.
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3. Greek quadrica with spoked wheels drawn by four horses, was a light and elegant
vehicle for gentleman about 250 B.C. It had spoked wheels and axles of irons or
bronze, handles for aid in mounting, and seat formed by a board placed across the
handles.

4. Roman carpentum a closed, two-wheeled cart, was the favored vehicle when Roman
women journeyed outside the city.

5. Italian cocchio, 1288 - a traveling wagon in which the passengers were protected by
a covering of leather or cloth fixed over a wooden framework.

oper very B. WHEELED VEHICLES could not use the narrow paths and trails used by
pack animals, and early roads were soon built.
C. THE ROMANS were the major road builders in the ancient world. The Romans road
network reached a total of about 50,000 miles (80,000 kms.), with FEEDER roads
branching out from the main highways. It was costly because its deep foundation,
formed by layer after heavy stones, was necessary to make roads that would carry
heavy traffic for many years.

D. JOHN L. MACADAM did not abandon the theory of feeder road building and
perfected the macadamized road in England about 1815.

E. AFTER THE FALL OF THE ROMANS in the 5th Century, land haulage generally
declined because highways suffered from inadequate maintenance. Such
improvements however, as the horse collars (10th Century), the addition of springs to
coaches, new methods of road construction, and the introduction of toll roads (18th
century) all continued to ease and speed land travel.

F. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF ROAD VEHICLE began with the adaptation of

COACH SPRING about 1650.

G. IN THE MID-18TH CENTURY, ENGLISH ROADS were so bad that the coaches
could average only about 4 mph (6.4 km/h) and the mail was usually carried by boys on
horses. H. JOHN PALMER introduced his first fast mail coach in March of 1785.

and by 1800, the English coach system was in full swing.

I. THE INVENTION OF BICYCLE in the early 19th century served as a nursery of

automobile builders. One of the modern ancestors of the modern bicycle was the
HOBBY HORSE, or dan horse. The wheels were made of wood, with tires of iron, and
the riders pushed themselves along with their feet on the ground.

1. The German Baron KARL VON DRAIS in 1817 introduced a steerable wheel,
creating the "draisienne," or "dandy horse."

2. In 1838, KIRKPATRICK MACMILLAN, a Scottish blacksmith, made the first machine

with pedals, which were attached to and drove the rear wheel by means of cranks.

J. PNEUMATIC TIRES (inflated by air) by a Scot, JOHN BOYD DUNLOP appeared in

late 19th century (about 1888).

K. MOTOR VEHICLE the first mode of transportation to challenge the railroads.

1. Frenchman ETIENNE LENOIR made possible the introduction of motorized carriages

by his invention in the 1860's and 70's, of the INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

2. NICOLAUS OTTO AND GOTTLIEB DAIMLER pioneered the manufacture of gas

engines, and later Daimler became a successful automobile manufacturer.
3. RUDOLF DIESEL, a German engineer, developed an internal combustion engine
which is similar with the gasoline engine but
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requires no electrical ignition system or carburetor and uses other form of liquid fuel, the
diesel fuel.

4. The AUTOMOBILE found its greatest popularity in the U.S., where the first
HOPSELESS CARRIAGE appeared in the 1890's.

5. In 1908, HENRY FORD introduced the MODEL T, which was proved so popular that
by 1914, Ford had adopted MASS PRODUCTION methods to meet the demand. 6. In
1956, FELIX WANKEL, a German mathematician, developed an advanced-type of
engine, named after him, that operates very differently from gas and diesel engines. It is
started by a moving crankshaft.

From Ford Era, the demand of vehicles became great for the transportation of goods,
products, communications and people. Hence, man started manufacturing large cargo
trucks and buses for mass transportation.

Presently, the introduction of the Light Trail Transit (LRT), the Metro Rail Transit (MRT),
flyovers, pedestrian and vehicle culverts, rock sheds and other modern traffic ways
contributed to the expeditious movement of traffic users.