EPIDEMIOLOGÍA

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(a) Roadways:

The Path or Track can be described as any cleared route which is used by pedestrians, animals, bicycles or other intermediate mode of transports (IMTs) such as pack animals, bicycles, wheelbarrows and carts (International Labour Organisation, ILO,2002). The road is the most common form of transportation. It can be in form of walking along the path or track routes, riding on horses, the use of wagons or bikes, traveling by cars or trucks, and it has been around for longer period than any other mode of transportation. It is the most utilized and widely used form of logistics. The top three states in Nigeria with the best roads are FCT, Abuja; Calabar, Cross Rivers State and Uyo, Akwa Ibom State (Arusuraire, 2018; Mihlfeld & Associates, 2018; Theintactone.com, 2019).

The merits of Road Transportation are:

(i) Economical – This mode of transportation is economical over short distances when compared with the railways.

(ii) Speedier movement: It is speedier than the railways when it comes to point to point service resulting in price stabilisation and consumer satisfaction. The transhipment of goods by road is faster and reliable than that of railways. The truck has a smaller capacity and make delivery of goods available within a shorter time than the railways over the same distance.

(iii) Greater accessibility to the remote hinterland – This mode of transportation has much beyond the capacity of railways, and is known for reaching impregnable market particularly the hilly or hinterland where the railways cannot easily reach.

(iv) Lesser conditions of service - It does not insist on strict packaging requirements because of least transhipments shocks to goods carried. The damage claims are settled faster in road transportation.

(v) It is a flexible mode of transportation because it is possible to make various stops according to the number of different shipments it is carrying

The demerits of Road Transportation are:

(i) Uneconomical - This is possible when it is for long distances. The haulage becomes costlier due to disproportionate rise in fuel and spare-parts expenses. The farther the distance covered by the vehicle the more the cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance.

(ii) It is fair weather friendly - Road transportation may be subject to vagaries of weather condition. In Africa, this explain why road transportation is faced with many difficulties during the raining period. This scenario may result in restricted movement of goods due to bad roads, blocked drainage along the road and the erosion that wash part of the road away.

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(iii) Not suitable for bulk transport: This form of transportation is not good for the movement of bulky and heavy goods most especially for long distances destination. It has a major limitation of carrying capacity than the railways.

(iv) Traffic and road regulations may serve as a major constraint to its effectiveness, in terms of timely and safety delivery of cargoes.

(v) There is also the problem of shortage of good and experienced truck drivers. This and other factors contribute to high incidence of accidents on the highways. The fewer experienced ones do not care about obeying traffic regulations and some of the drivers are also into substance abuse which led to increase rate of fatalities on the road.

(vi) High level of insecurity – This has become another major threat to road transportation in Nigeria. There is no more safety of lives and properties due to the incessant attacks from the bandits and kidnappers that unleash their terror on the innocent ones when they travel from one place to another. This has led to reduction in the number of people that travel by road in present time in Nigeria.

Self-Assessment Exercise

Why is road, which is the most common and oldest form of transportation still considered important to man?

(b) Railways.

This mode of transportation was invented in the early 19th century and quickly became vital for the expansion of the western world for over two centuries. It is used more exclusively for the largest and bulk cargo traveling across land. Rail transport connects highly populated areas with large unpopulated area, thus making it ideal for long-distance and cross-country hauls.

The following are some of the merits of the rail transport:

(i) Great carrying capacity: Rail transport when ccompared to other means of transport, are known for bulk carriage of goods over long distances.

(ii) Economical: this mode of transportation works best most especially, for heavy goods that are carried over long distances. The cost of carriage is usually very cheap.

(iii) It is all weather modes: It adapts to the climatic changes and provide all season protection to the products moved on uninterrupted basis. It is the most dependable of all modes of transportation since it is not affected by rain and fogs compared to other modes of transport.

(iv) Freight containerisation: This mode of transportation makes possible freight containerisation on major routes which facilitates safe, uninterrupted and speedier movement.

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(v) Source of International markets: It serves as the main sources of connections with the foreign markets. Goods are moved from the interior parts of the region to the points of overseas supply and shipping.

(vi) Better organized mode of transportation- It has fixed routes and schedules plan of operations. It offers a more certain, uniform and regular form of services compared to other modes of transportation.

(vii) It offers safe services – The rail transport is the safest form of transportation. It has little chances of accidents and breakdown compared to other modes of transport.

(viii) Public Welfare Service – It offers public utility services to the people and not set up for profit motive. The service charges are fixed at a very low rate so as to meet up with the demands of the poor. Their services can be regarded as national necessities.

(ix) Employment opportunities –It offers employment opportunities to many skilled and unskilled labour. There are so many people that depend either directly or indirectly on railways for their livelihood.

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The demerits of rail transportation:

(i) Costly for short distances: Rail transport may be costlier for short distances because of tapering and differential tariff rates.

(ii) Slow Speed: Railways when compared to other modes of transportation such as road and air transport, has slower speed of movement.

(iii) Possibility of delays – There is usually delay and sometime total cancelation of trip due to the occurrences of unforeseen circumstances. There are also problem of shortage of wagons and wear and tears of rail tracks.

(iv) High cost of Railway project – The cost of building railway lines, coaches, engines and equipment are exorbitantly high and this is why it is mostly financed by Government in most developing countries. The railway project is hardly handled by private sectors.

There is also the problem of maintenance and repairs which further add to the cost of building and operating railways.

(v) Monopoly – The high capital outlay may lead to monopoly, and end up making it to work against public interest. The lack of competition may make it to be managed inefficiently at high cost of service.

(vi) Lack of flexibility – It is not possible to adjust its timing and schedule to individual requirements. This makes door to door services impossible for rail transport.

(vii) Involves more booking time – there is more time spent in booking and taking goods delivery for railways compared to road transportation (Your article library, 2014;

Theintactone.com, 2019).

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Self-Assessment Exercise

What are the demerits of Railways as a form of transportation?

(c) Pipelines

This is a form of transportation mode that is designed to move items like crude-oil, petroleum, chemicals, coal, lime-stone, iron-ore, copper concentrates and gas. The routes are practically unlimited, they can be laid on land or under water. Pipelines are not only use for transporting liquid substances but for solid substances after been converted into slurry. This form of transportation has brought relief on other types of surface transportation such as road and railway transportation.

The merits of Pipelines are:

(i) Economical - It is economical for the transportation of crude oil, coal and gas. This makes this mode of transportation ideal for gases and liquid.

(ii) Uninterrupted service - It presents all weather system to move the products and there is no wastage of time as it works round the clock to distribute the products and services.

(iii) No or little danger of wastage - There are little or no problem of wastage, spilling, evaporation, pilferage except where there is deliberate or accidental destruction of pipes.

(iv) Underground - The pipe-line are usually laid underground and, hence, may takes no additional space. It also has advantage of traversing through difficult terrain or underwater.

(v) Low Energy Consumption - This mode of transportation requires low energy consumption than that of truck and trains.

(v) It is devoid of human labour – Pipeline transportation requires less human labour and saves time. There is no need to disconnect hoses when transporting crude oil through pipeline.

(vi) Ideal for bulk carriage - Large volumes of crude oil and other petroleum products can be transported from producers to consumers. In other words, several million barrels of oil daily can be pumped daily through pipelines.

(vii) Safety and convenience – Pipeline transportation of oil and other liquids is safe and convenient. It can be used in transporting crude oil directly to refineries without any problem and it is more environment friendly provided the pipeline is given proper maintenance and prevented from bursting.

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The demerits of Pipeline transportation are:

(i) Initial heavy investment – This mode of transportation has initial heavy cost of capital outlay though the subsequent operational and maintenance costs are minimal,

(ii) Danger of possible attacks: There is usually the danger of possible attack on the pipeline either during the peaceful time or when there is insurgency. They are more prone to attacks from bandits, militia men and the vandals thus jeopardizing the free flow of the crude oil or gas supply to the entire nation. This may result to the production activities been grounded to halt.

(iii) Prone to damage – Pipelines are exposed to damage because there are no separate lands mapped out for them, this make them to be subject to either man-made damage or natural disasters such as earthquake, landslide, volcanoes etc.

(iv) Vandalism – This is the deliberate destruction of the pipelines by criminals due to its unprotective nature, so as to disrupt the free flow of the products during the period of the crisis.

(v) Possible leakage and theft – There may be possible leakage and theft of the product transported through pipelines. The early detection of the leakage may not be possible with underground and under water pipelines.

(vi) Maintenance Problem – It may not be easy to carry out regular maintenance check up for the underground and underwater pipelines. This may allow for the spillage of the products been transported through the pipelines.

(vii) Fire accident – This may occur if there is leakage of highly inflammable substances from the pipelines. This may lead to environmental pollution and also the fire may not be easy to put off at the right time.

(viii) Compensation Problem – The oil company may not be willing to compensate or in some cases pay inadequate compensation to the landowners for damages, as the case with the Niger Delta People and oil producing communities in Nigeria. This is because the oil companies may feel it is not obligatory for them to do so the people.

(ix) Fixed capacity – In pipeline transportation there is usually a limit to the number of petroleum products that can be pumped through pipelines per unit of time. This limit can therefore not be exceeded and as result the capacity cannot be increased (Your article library, 2014; Theintactone.com, 2019).

Self-Assessment Exercise

What are the advantages of Pipelines over others surface transportation?