Topic 5 Transport

Public transport in cities and towns

Transport is a means of making contact between two distant points.
In most big cities people have a wide choice of vehicles as public transport services
consist of taxis, buses, trams, trolley buses, suburban trains, the underground system. A
great number of people live, work and travel in big cities like Budapest or London. Day by
day the inhabitants have to travel long distances to and from work and school, and most of
them use the public transport network. In addition to the actual inhabitants, lots of people
commute and go to work in big cities, and thus public transport has to handle an enormous
number of passengers.
Perhaps the taxi is the quickest and most comfortable, but also the most expensive
means of transport. The yellow tram is the cheapest and generally the slowest, but also the
most frequent vehicle after the underground. It works by electricity and has a pair of fixed
rails and overhead electric wires, so it does not pollute the air as much as buses do. The
trolley bus is a mixture of trams and buses, it has rubber tyres but runs on electricity. The
underground railway is definitely the quickest means of transport as it goes under the ground,
so it never gets into traffic jams. It runs every other minute during the rush hours, and thus
increases the speed of transport.
Problems with public transport:
- constant congestion on the roads, traffic islands, pavements and in the vehicles
- traffic has slowed down immensely
- frequent traffic jams (rush hours)
- chaotic conditions on the roads, awful state of repair of roads (potholes, low quality
asphalt, ambiguous road signs, poor markings)
- pollution to the environment caused by exhaust fumes
- parking difficulties and costs
- poor condition of vehicles old and obsolete vehicles, no wheelchair access, few cars
running on unleaded petrol, frequent breakdowns, dirty buses and train carriages
- lack of infrastructure few motorways, few kilometres of bicycle tracks
- frequent delays
Possible solutions to problems with public transport:
- stopping the deterioration of roads
- improving road conditions
- need for more ring-roads, one-way streets, computer-controlled traffic lights
- building of vehicle underpasses and pedestrian subways
- banning heavy-goods vehicles from towns
- using environmentally-friendly vehicles running on unleaded petrol
- providing free P+R (park and ride) parking facilities at the outskirts of towns where
people can leave their cars and continue their journey by public transport
- introducing restrictions on the use of private cars
- providing cleaner, more comfortable vehicles
- providing extra services on vehicles used for longer journeys (catering services, access
to electricity for laptop/notebook use)
- increasing the frequency of service
Transport

Transport infrastructure
1. Road transport
- national and local roads, motorways, ring-roads, roundabouts
- pavements, bicycle tracks, traffic islands, bridges
- road signs, traffic lights
- car fleet buses, trolley buses, trams, coaches for passenger transport
- lorries, juggernaut lorries for the carriage of goods
- network of overhead electric wires for trolleys and trams
- but stops, bus stations
2. Rail transport
- network of rails on the surface and under the ground
- trains, carriages, trams
- railway and underground stations, warehouses
- escalators in underground stations
- agencies selling the service
3. Air transport
- planes for passenger and cargo transport
- airports, runways, warehouses
- air navigation centres
- buses and corridors connecting gate exits with planes
- agencies selling the service
4. Sea and river transport
- passenger/liner ships, ferries
- cargo ships: vessels, tramps, freighter, tankers
- ports, docks, piers
- canals
Improvements to transport in Hungary:
-

building new roads, especially in depressed regions (Eastern Hungary) where the road
network is poorer
building more motorways to raise general traffic standards and make access to industrial
units easier
improving the condition of existing roads, providing unambiguous road signs and clear
makings
expanding airport capacity (Ferihegy 1 and 2 are the only international airports, too small
for the increased air traffic of recent years)
ameliorating the condition of rail tracks and railway carriages
encouraging people to use public transport by making it better and cheaper

Transport

PASSENGER TRAVEL
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by train?
- fast; comfortable; meals and snacks are available; sleepers are available; reaches all
important places; more environmentally friendly than cars
- expensive (especially in first class); crowded; noisy; dirty; delays
2. What do you think of train services in Hungary?
3. Does the Hungarian Rail offer cheap tickets? Do they offer any reduction?
- young people up to the age of 26; students and pensioners; children under 6; employees
of the Hungarian Rail
4. Do you think that in the age of cars there are still people who choose to travel by
train? If so, why?
e.g. commuters: cars are too expensive to use, enough space to move, can work or relax
while travelling
5. What carriages does a train consist of?
first-class and second-class carriages, smoking and non-smoking
compartments, sleepers, buffet or restaurant cars
6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by air?
- very fast; comfortable, flights to all the important cities all the year round
- expensive; takes too long to collect luggage and reach town/airport
7. Do you think flying is a safe way of travelling?
8. In your opinion, what is important from an airline?
e.g. safety, comfort, punctual departures, good food and wine, attentive staff
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by sea?
- e.g. big ocean liners: several thousand passengers, cabins, entertainment,
- slow, bad weather
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by coach?
- relatively fast, you can see more of the country
- expensive, less comfortable
11. In your opinion, which is the quickest and most comfortable way of travelling?
Why?

Transport

THE USE OF CARS

1. Do you consider a car to be a luxury/an essential part of your life/something you
need but you cant afford?
2. Is it expensive to run a car nowadays?
- high fuel prices, petrol tax, road tax, weight tax, high parking charges, maintenance,
insurance
3. What accounts for the high number of accidents on the road?
- drinking and driving, exceeding speed limits, careless driving, pedestrians, ignoring
traffic rules, road conditions (potholes, ambiguous road signs, poor marking)
4. What are the advantages and of using cars?
- comfortable, takes you door-to-door, freedom of movement,
- people are able to travel individually, no timetables
- the car industry provides employment for many people (reduces the rate of
unemployment)
- eases the burden of public transport (if people used cars less, there would be even more
congestions on public transport vehicles)
- spreads population, allows people to live outside towns and commute daily to work
5. What are the disadvantages and of using cars?
- congestion, traffic jams,
- environmental pollution, exhaust fumes,
- road accidents, parking difficulties,
- poor conditions of vehicles,
- oil = non-renewable energy resource, will become depleted sooner or later causing
shortage of raw material for various industries
- climatic change, contribution to the greenhouse effect and global warming
6. What could be done to make people stop using their cars?
- convince more people to give up their cars and use public transport instead
- make it more expensive for people to drive cars (higher fuel prices, more taxes, more
expensive insurance and maintenance costs)
- make unleaded petrol compulsory
- have more policemen on the roads to control traffic
- make traffic rules stricter
- introduce hefty fines for those who break the Highway Code
- persuade more people to use bicycles for travelling in towns (advantages: cheap,
keeping fit, relatively fast, no problems with parking; disadvantages: too much smog to
breathe in, bad weather, can be stolen, lack of cycling lanes)

Transport

THE TRANSPORT OF GOODS

1. What are the major forms of transport used in international trade?
rail, road, air, sea, inland waterways (rivers), pipelines
2. What factors influence the choice of transport
- the nature of goods
- the value of goods
- the cost of transport
- how urgently the goods are needed

the size and weight of the products

the location of the terminals
the reputation of the carrier
the distance

3. When is air-transport used? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Give examples when you would transport by air.
- the fastest form of transport
- expensive
- short transit times
- limited weight and size
- little risk of damage or pilferage
- the problem of bad weather
- suitable for perishable goods and
- relies on other transport
goods of great value
- noise, pollution
- low packaging costs
- limited number of airports
4. And rail transport? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Give examples when you would transport by rail.
- faster than road transport over long
- fixed routes (railway lines)
distances
- high equipment costs
- less labour-intensive
- relies on road transport
- more economical in fuel
- greater risk of damage
- passenger travel
pilferage
- container traffic
- possible delays
- little pollution
- need for road transport
5.

and

When would you choose road transport? What are its advantages and
disadvantages? Give examples when you would transport by road.
- no rigid timetables and routes
- expensive
- the problem of band weather and
flexibility
congestion
- fast over short distances
- noise, pollution
- can reach places inaccessible to
- only limited size and weight
other forms of transport
- slower than railways over long
- door-to-door
distances
- no trans-shipment, less risk of
- condition of the roads
damage and pilferage
- tax on vehicles and fuel

6. When is it useful to use sea transport? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Give examples when you would transport by sea.
cheap, very slow, relies on other transport forms

Transport

Pldk
Transport for the individual in your country
Base your conversation on the following.
Local transport
What type of transport do you usually use?
State the purpose, e.g. travelling to work, etc.
Is this transport effective and economical?
Make suggestion for any improvements
Who provides this transport? E.g. private or public provision
Have you any views on this?
Comment on the cost of such transport.
Modes of transport available
Comment on the availability and use/non-use of any of the following:
Animals, bicycles, motor cycles, cars, river, sea, rail and air transport.
Longer journeys
What kind of transport do people normally use for long distance travel in your country?
Is this within the financial means of the average person?
Roleplay 1
Candidate
You are the member of an environmentalist group fighting for a cleaner and healthier
environment. The solution you see to this would be a reduction in the use of private cars. To
make your opinion known to the general public, you decide to give an interview to a
magazine with a high readership. Answer the journalists questions.
Roleplay 2
Candidate
You work for the Hungarian Railway and are a keen supporter of environmental issues. You
are concerned about the level of pollution caused by private cars and have a lot of ideas of
how the railway could help improve the situation. Talk to your superior about your ideas.
Roleplay 3
Candidate
You need to hire a mini-bus for a group of 8 businessmen visiting your company. Discuss with
the representative of the Bus Company your specific needs, including dates and times of pickups. You should also check whether the bus has seatbelts and if the passengers are fully
insured.

Transport