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Moving people and animals from one place to another is transportation. It means walking and running is part of transportation. People can walk so many miles to buy or sell their farm products. They can also walk very far to food for their animals. Shepherds understand this better, they walk all this far with their animals.
Ancient way of transportation
Humans have tried so many ways of transportation to make it easier for them to carry loads and to reach their destination on time. To achieve this, they crafted boats from logs, they rode animals and with time diversed to wheel vehicles to move from one place to another. One of the most commonly used was Horse riding.
From 1600s to 1700s, building of roads in Europe and other parts of the world began and with the increase in roads and rail ways, people began to build automobile and cars. The founder of Ford company built his first car, that was 1896 and his first ride, since then he has progressed from that to so many design.
Challenges of ancient way of transportation
They had a lot of challenges walking on a track road, many were killed on the way by wild animals, many by dangerous Men on their way. Then, they had just one straight road and had no route escape. If they meet danger, all of them will be in danger. And the attackers will come out from back and front. No security at all.
They also travel days, weeks even months to reach their destination. Remote areas were difficult to reach. They face weather challenges on their way, sun and rain is on them. Some will fall sick at the middle of the journey that, to back is difficult and to go front is also difficult. My father told me his experience in those days when they traveled four good days on a track road, he said if not God, that he would have been a dead person on the third day.
He said, they were attacked by unknown men with heavy sticks, if they ask you for money and you don't have, you give them your wife and forget about her, had no wife then and they beat him to nonsense thinking he is dead, all other travelers had to apply what they know and what they didn't know until one Man with bicycle who lived in a nearby village helped him by putting him on his bike. Traveling then was not easy at all.
Traveling then was too expensive because they have to go several months to bring goods, imagine how many months it took them then to bring a truck of garri or yam from one city to another, they pay high and spend more time but today it can happen in just few hours.
Benefit of technology
Speed: today people can travel in an hour to reach a destination that use to take days before, for example before now it takes days to move from Uyo to Calabar, but today no matter how bad the road is, you will go and come back that same day. We have airplanes, that can fly, ships, boats and all makes traveling more enjoyable, you sit and relax even eat your food, have good discussion with fellow passengers.
Safety: Not just that we have vehicles, a lot of things has been put in place to ensure safety, there is break, airbags, anti-clock breaks and much more, there is good communication between passengers. It is easy to carry goods because capacity has been improved, lots of trucks to carry loads. This has really improved transportation landscape, it makes it faster and more efficient.
That reminds me when I went to Dubai, it was from Lagos to Kenya,then to Dubai, it was just two days, it it was in ancient time when there was no such technology like plane, I will not think of going another country as it may take years to reach. The comfort we enjoyed can never be found in ancient way of transportation.
Modern technology challenge on transportation
How will it good good good without challenges, it is not possible as it was made with imperfect brain. One of the challenges of technology is that is taking job from people. Many who think that the world will remain the it was has been left behind without a job. It has opened a new way of stealing which we call cyber security risk.
Although many vehicle has alarm for security, it doesn't stop it from been hacked. Many car owners has been killed by their car because of over speed, many was killed by arm robbers because of expensive car they are driving.
Car maintenance is expensive too, road maintenance and keeping it up to date. Technology has gained people trust that people rely on technology in so many things they do. This has affected many not to develop skill.
Solutions
To reduce rate of accident, enhance safety and reduce traffic flow, there should be autonomous vehicles. Public transport app, exactly what Uber, Opay and so many are doing now. You sit in your house and book them, the8 will come to your house, hotel, market, wherever you are and pick you up and take you to your destination.
Medical transportation too is another way to improve modern technology in transportation, this driver's are paid weekly, monthly for their services. What they need is to be ready for any emergency. They make sure a patient was taking to hospital as soon as possible.
Smart traffic management is important to reduce congestion, give traffic signals and reduce travel times. If you are in Nigeria and have traveled to Lagos through Onitsha bridge, you will get the gist fast, you can stay there for 2 hours because of congestion. So many places are like that so constructing more good roads, bridges and flyovers will solve this challenge.
Another one is artificial intelligence. AI does not get tired and it does it's work diligently as programed, using them as traffic warder, it will enhance safety and free movement.
Conclusion
Technology has improved the way we do so many things today. Adapt the chand, improve your skill because the invention of AI will take so many peoples job. Don't be among them.
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