SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN THE SOCIETY OF TOMORROW

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to sketch the economic and technological trends likely to characterize transportation in the future, in order to expose the legal and regulatory issues that will emerge. It first reviews transportation advances that have made economic growth possible and the accompanying challenges faced by legal and regulatory bodies. It then predicts a future of surface transport defined less by the mode of transport and more by the type of commodity being transported and discusses these new categories: station-to-station versus door-to-door, high speed versus low speed, mail and packaged freight, bulk materials, energy and people. The authors then discuss the influence of law on transportation as tending to follow the development of government policy, enabling legislation, financing legislation and regulatory or operating franchise legislation. They hope for efficient, effective and creative transportation legislation in the future.