How Urbanisation has Culturally and Historically Affected Transportation in Port Of Spain.

Transport is a constant that remains throughout time. Historically, the Neo-Indians travelled long distances by foot to sustain daily practices, Columbus used boats as a mode of transport on explorations. Today, transport is utilized in almost every aspect of life. Transportation can be defined as the act or process of moving people or things from one place to another (Webster 2015). The geography of transportation is affected by space time compression which have affected cities worldwide, culturally and allowed for the evolution of different modes from historical times to present. Port Of Spain is an example a city that has experienced these changes.

In ancient times, people travelled by foot. As time progressed and development began carriages powered by animal labour was used. Eventually modes of transport became mechanized in Port Of Spain. In 1876, Trinidad Government Railway ran its first steam locomotive. Despite the introduction of steam locomotive, horsedrawn trans were still present. The railway system eventually gave way to the motor trans. In 1939, transportation in Trinidad was described as transformed with the introduction of trolleybuses. Port Of Spain had the only trolley buses in the western hemisphere that had doors on the left side and ran on the left side of two-way streets. The trolley bus system was closed on the last day of 1956. In 1976 based on a painting by David Moore, both trolley buses and automobiles were observed in operation.

Photograph 1: The above picture shows a Trolley bus located in Marie Square currently known as Independence Square (Morrison 2008).

 

Photograph 2: This picture shows a Public Transport Service bus located outside Woodford Square (Ramadhar 2015).

In today’s society, there is the operation of transport vehicles of various types. The Ferry (Water Taxi) is seen in operation down town Port Of Spain, taxis are readily available and heliports are placed at the top of some buildings. These avenues have made transport by air, land and sea possible.

Photograph 3: Picture shows various types of automobiles in Port Of Spain (Ramadhar 2015).

Photograph 4: Port Of Spain Ferry terminal recently introduced to the city (Quashie 2015).

Urbanisation has created increase need to cover maximum distance in a short space of time to cope with the fast past lifestyle tied to a contemporary urban life. Improvements in transportation have given urban lifestyles the fuel it requires to be effectively functional. Advances in the transport system of Port Of Spain have shortened the gap between the city and the rest of the country. This is evident by the bus system available at City Gate which provides transport to the rest of the country at a subsidized cost. The Ferry system from North to South Trinidad has increased the rate of commute. 

The way in which people travel has been culturally affected. Commute has become easier, faster and more efficient. However, there are environmental, health, economic and social cots associated with these advances. To keep up with the contemporary lifestyle, these negative impacts are simply ignored in most cases.

Costs is an example of  a negative aspect of transportation in Port Of Spain. Methods of cheap transportation is a major concern. Von Thunen's Model highlights the importance of the relationship between transport and costs. Hence, as discussed in his model, it is important to structure activities close to the city to reduce transportation cost, thereby allowing for maximum profits.  

Urbanisation has influenced the growth of cities making transport a necessity. In 1876, Port Of Spain had a population of 2500 persons (Morrison 2008). In 2011, its population was recorded as 66000 persons  ( World Fact Book of The United States Central Intelligence Agency 2015 ).  This population growth has increased the flow of people in and out of the city. Boserup's theory on  a limited food supply being the stimulus for development in farming technologies can be applied to other aspects of contemporary urban life. The growth in population has increased networking which resulted in development in traveling technologies and methods. A new culture of travel have been introduced to cope with the need for efficient transport . This shows that human innovation develop means of combating environmental restraints.

The definition of urban is greatly influenced by the environment (Portugali 1996). Portugali discusses in his article, how a city is considered urban based on the tangible technological progress that it has made.Advances in transport over time has contributed to defining Port Of Spain as an urban space. The more advanced the city's transport system gets, the more urban it is considered. Urbanisation has progressed over time and contributed to the development of Port Of Spain which has increased the desire to operate faster, thereby, changing  culture and methods of transport over time.

References:

"Merriem Webster," 2015. Accessed, April 7, 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transport.

"The Trams and Trolleybuses of Trinidad and Tobago,"Allen Morrison , accessed, April 7, 2015,
http://www.tramz.com/tt/tt.html

Amos, Borne, J.Portugali. 1997. "Contemporary Perspectives on Urbanization." Progress in Planning.

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