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ROAD TRANSPORT (Rodrigue, J. et al., 2017)

Road Networks
The road is one (1) of the two (2) major modes that comprise the land transportation system. Its origin goes
way back before 3,000 B.C., where trails are made by early civilization as means to move from one hunting
territory to another. When empires began to establish, the trails were used for commercial purposes. As trade
was expanding, animals such as camel and horses were domesticated to be used as means of transportation,
and wheeled vehicles were invented. Trails were improved and became roads to support heavier modes of
transportation that may damage unpaved surfaces.
Over the years, several improvements and innovations such as better road engineering were made. Modern
nations were able to construct a national highway system which is a sign of a nation's economic development.
Roads have two (2) main functional hierarchies that determine the role they play in the transport network. A
transport network can be described as something that connects places and serves developed areas (Friedrich,
2017). The two (2) main functional hierarchies are as follows:
• Freeways (Highways) – These are limited-access roads with no intersections. (e.x. South Luzon Express
Way (SLEX), North Luzon Express Way (NLEX))
• Arterials – These are roads that have traffic signals at intersections. Their main purpose is to connect
specific areas such as residences, industries, retail stores, among others. (e.x. local roads, provincial
roads, etc.)
When these two (2) functional hierarchies are put together, the entire transport network enables bringing a
passenger or cargo from one (1) point to another (point to point services). The roads, especially arterials, can
be sub-classified depending on the geography of a destination.
Road Transport in Tourism
Part of the many transport modes that are being utilized by tourists is road transportation. This mode of
transportation is considered the main mode used for going around a destination. Various types comprise road
transport such as cars, buses, coaches, cycling, and walking.
In most tourist destinations, it can be argued that cars are still the most dominant travel mode over the years,
with buses coming in second. Others such as motorcycles, scooters, and the like take the smaller shares of
tourist use for transport.
Common Vehicles Used for Road Transportation
• Cars - Cars still rank at the top in terms of tourist preference for transportation. This mode of
transportation offers flexibility and adaptability to the individual's plans for travel. Most independent
tourists still prefer cars to go from one area to another.
Tourists either use their privately owned cars or may rental, depending on the destination. If a destination
requires a tourist to travel by air or water, rental cars can be availed right outside terminals or ports for
going around within the destination. They also offer services for delivering a passenger from the
airport/port to the hotel and vice-versa. Rental cars often charge additional fees (and another fee if service
of a driver is availed) on top of a tourists' expenses, such as gas and toll fees.
Ridesharing has also become a common choice for tourists in road transportation. It is a service that lets
an individual share a ride with another using his/her private vehicle for a fee. Ridesharing is often availed
through the use of an app or a website that contains profiles and information of drivers and the vehicles
they use.

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• Taxis - These are commonly used by tourists once the operating hours of buses and trains end usually
around midnight. For most destinations, taxis are the only option of going around a destination at night.
It is easier to spot taxis on the streets and around local tourist destinations.
Taxis usually use a meter as the basis on how much a passenger should pay for the fare. The rates of taxis
commonly depend on the length of the journey and some other factors such as the class of the taxi and
time of the day.
• Bus - Tourists usually prefer the use of public transportation when visiting a destination. Buses are
common for visiting attractions within a destination. However, regular buses are designed to cater to local
commuters.
As tourism continues to grow, there are several types of buses that have been developed to meet tourist
needs. These are types that may offer more in terms of capability to access more areas, ease of use and
accessibility, comfort, more seating, and different fare structures such as discounted prices for elderly
tourists.
Motorcoaches are a good example of a bus designed for tourist service. This type of bus is usually a
member of certain groups that offers a specific tour or routes that are offered to tourists. The usual set-
up of motor coaches compared to regular buses is that they set a specific point of pick-up locations for
tourists, and they have pre-determined destinations.
• Other types – There are also other modes of transportation that tourists may avail such as the following:
o Safari vehicles – These are vehicles used to traverse a safari destination such as Africa. It is usually
designed to let guests have a face-to-face interaction with wildlife.
o Recreational Vehicle (R.V.) – These are vehicles that can be used as temporary living quarters for
recreational, camping, and cross-country travels.
o Mobile Caravans – These are assembled structures usually with wheels that can also be used as living
quarters and can be moved with the help of another vehicle.
o Other unique modes of tourist transport may vary depending on the destination (e.x. Kalesa in Manila,
Philippines, and Coco taxi in Havana, Cuba).

RAIL TRANSPORT
Rail transportation has been existing since the 17th century during the dawn of the industrial era, which made
an important role in the economic development of several countries especially in Europe, America, and Japan.
This helped the improvement of land transportation technology as mobility for both passengers and cargo
became easier especially for heavier loads.
Travel times were improved, and transport service has become more reliable in terms of consistency and
proper scheduling. This helped the planning of economic activities easier and convenient such as scheduling
of production and delivery of goods.
Railway Transportation System (Pyrgidis, C., 2016)
The railway transportation system is commonly used for mass transportation for both passengers and cargo.
The system can cover any distance in any environment such as urban, suburban, rural, or regional. Trains that
move with the use of either diesel or electricity are used in this system. The railways serve as the guideway
for trains.

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Three (3) components that comprise the railway transportation system are the following:
• Railway infrastructure – This ensures the flow of traffic in the railway transportation system, which is
comprised of the following:
o Railway tracks – These are mounted tracks that guide the train in a specific direction, usually
made of steel.
o Civil engineering structures – These pertain to the tunnels, underground sections of railway
tracks, bridges, overpass/underpass, and the like that trains go through depending on the
geography of a destination.
o Track systems and premises – These are where specific operations of the railway
transportation are conducted that is separated into two (2):
 Lineside systems – Electric systems, telecommunication systems, and the like.
 Facilities – Stations, depots, building facilities (e.x. administration building and
warehouse)
• Rolling Stock – This refers to all types of railway vehicles and trains that are either powered or pulled.
There are different classifications of rolling stocks depending on the use (e.x. passenger rail-cars,
freight wagons, diesel-powered locomotives, and electric-powered trains).
• Railway Operation – This pertains to all activities in a railway transport system to secure revenue
service. Railway operation is separated into three (3) types:
o Technical – Includes activities such as scheduling/tracing of routes, establishment, and
implementation of rules, manuals, regulation, control of traffic, and safety fall under this type.
o Commercial – Includes pricing, marketing, passenger/cargo traffic management, among
others.
o Maintenance – Includes repair and maintenance of railway infrastructure, rolling stocks, and
other equipment.

Classifications of Passenger Rail Transport

There are different classifications of passenger rail transport depending on which geographical setting they
operate. The classifications are the following:
• Interurban railways – These usually link major urban areas or cities that use high-speed trains that can
travel long distances, approximately greater than 150km.
• Suburban railways – These serve regional areas that use trains that are run by electrified lines and can
travel 100-150km. The Philippine National Railways (PNR) can be considered under this classification
as it is used back and forth to Laguna and Bicol.
• Urban railways – These usually use driverless trains such as metro, light rail, tram, and monorails that
services urban commuters.
In the Philippines, since the technological advancement is not as competitive as the other countries
and we don't have any driverless transport, the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT)
can be considered under this as they are the major rail transport that services all over the cities.
• Steep gradient railways – These are used for small-distance, high altitude-travels such as remote
mountain trips, mountain resorts, and the like.
• Heritage railways – These are old railway systems that can maintain their vintage look and offers a
unique experience to those who want to learn about the history of railways in a destination.

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References:
Bajada, T., Titheridge, H. (2016, July). The attitudes of tourists towards a bus service: Implications for policy from a Maltese case
study: Paper presented at the World Conference on Transport Research, Shanghai, China.
Dela Paz, C. (September 15, 2017). Unified toll payment for 13 expressways in Luzon by 2018.
https://www.rappler.com/business/182275-unified-toll-collection-expressways.
Hall, C., Le-Klahn, D., Ram, Y. (2017). Tourism, public transport, and sustainable mobility. Channel View Publications.
Pacific Area Travel Association. (2016). Tourism, transportation, and security part 2.
https://sustain.pata.org/tourism-transportation-security-part-2/.
Pyrgidis, C. (2016). Railway transportation systems. CRC Press.
Rodrigue, J., Slack, B., Comtois, C. (2017). The Geography of Transport Systems. Routledge
Safari365. (n.d.). Types of vehicles on Safari.
https://www.safari365.com/about-africa/types-of-vehicles-on-safari.
TourismReview. (2015). HERITAGE/Nostalgic travel with heritage railways.
https://www.tourism-review.com/travel-tourism-magazine-worlds-heritage- railways-growing-in-popularity-
category2617.
Visitseoul.net. (n.d.). Taxi.
http://english.visitseoul.net/essential-Info-article/Taxi_/16758.

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