posted on 2024-11-18, 14:50authored byInaugural addresses
Inaugural lecture--Faculty of Transport Economy, Rand Afrikaans University, 5 May 1970@@The different transportation techniques show about as much variation as the reasons behind transport. It is the task of the transport economist to calculate the different alternative methods of transporting goods or passengers, what the costs and the benefits are, so that the alternatives can be arranged according to the rate of return on capital. Much more research is necessary into the motives which make people decide whether to travel and, if they decide to travel, what type of transport they will use. This applies particularly to the longer trips made for business, pleasure or holiday. In urban transport there is not much of a choice. People must travel to work, shops, etc., often in the peak hours, while in many instances there is not an acceptable alternative to the motor car. Comprehensive, metropolitan transport planning which aims at providing sufficient road and parking facilities is necessary, as well as a high-standard rapid transit system, where possible at an economic price to the user.