Successful Transport Management Strategy Is Key To Economic Growth

The economy and growth of a country can often be dependent on the state of the infrastructure. During times of hardship, conflict and limited resources, it is the state of the transport system that determines the state of the country. We are all too used to living in an era where provisions for everyday survival are available on our doorstep, from loaves of bread at a corner shop to fuel for vehicles at the local garage. These same systems in place to distribute goods also serve to move people around the country so that workers can do the jobs that keep the country going.

The importance of a successful transport management system cannot be overstated. The ability to commute is a luxury that is taken for granted in developed countries, and is the key to continued growth. Being able to move a workforce enables the economic system to utilise available skills efficiently. The comparisons with developing countries are astounding. In areas with a weak and inefficient transport management system, people who are able to work can only work within the immediate area, reducing the capacity for growth through skill distribution.

This is a cycle that is hard to improve. If a workforce is limited by transport systems, then the products and services are also limited, creating a paradigm that can only satisfy the needs of its immediate surroundings. These constraints do not generate an economy that is capable of funding the necessary infrastructure improvements to improve the situation, and the result is that the cycle stays the same.

By implementing a transport management system that aids the distribution of goods and services, including items for import and export, an economy has an opportunity to expand as the workforce has the opportunity to distribute its skills to areas where they are needed. One has only to imagine the chaos that would be caused if the transportation systems in Britain were to suddenly fail. How many doctors and nurses live within walking distance of their job, how much of our food is from a farm within even twenty miles.

We rely heavily on our ability to move people and products from one place to another, and any notion of self-sufficiency would be swiftly erased should we find ourselves without adequate transport management. The evidence of this is in the type of destruction that is caused to essential infrastructure during conflict. Targeting bridges, rail systems and roads can render an area crippled. Without a route for essential supplies to find a way in and without the ability to disperse workers or rescue crew, a country can soon find itself in a severely compromised situation.

The stark reality is that without road, rail sea and air to bring in goods, developing countries would be on the same economic level as developing countries, with only the resources that are locally available and the skills of the workforce nearby to achieve a state of comfortable survival. Should the transport management of our roads and railways fail, or the capacity to import essential supplies by plane or boat cease then our economy and way of living would change dramatically.