History

In ancient times the only form of transport was simply walking.  Humans are territorial animals and
instinctively try to maximise territory. We walk about 5km/h. Running is 3 to 4 times faster, and even
allowed the Inca's to sustain a large empire on foot.

The ability to increase the mobility of resources and people greatly advanced the power of many empires.
Horses topped the transport method for a few thousand years, making big empires for the Romans, Huns and Chinese.
The Romans built the first roadways of Europe, and as time passed mud tracks slowly developed into viable toll
roads. Popular trade routes were used by merchants transporting their goods by pack horse.

Even by the 14^thand 15^thcenturies travel by road was dangerous and unreliable. Later stage coaches lumbered along at 15 miles per day. The coaches were all horse drawn. Inns provided for the horses and passengers of the coaches. Travel in these days was long and arduous, further frustrated by the reluctance to travel at night for safety reasons and how some routeways would become impassible in Winter. By 1836 one thousand turnpike trusts were in operation.

Telford (1757-1834) and Macadam (1756-1836) developed solid road foundations and condsolidated the upper road surface. New materials were used and road engineering was founded. In 1767 Cugnot developed the         Image courtesy of www.Sip.ie            steam carriage. After James Watt's discovery, it became commercially viable in the 1830's. The introduction of a new transport is slow, and expensive to develop and use. Innovation within the steel industry enabled the railway lines to develop faster.