Historical Background on Traveling in the Early 19th Century
A brief summary of traveling and the impact of changing technology in the early nineteenth-century.
Travel in the early nineteenth century was so much slower and more difficult than it is today that it is not easy to remember that it was also a time of significant change and improvement. In New England in 1790, vehicles were few, roads were generally rutted and rudimentary, and traveling any distance was both slow and difficult. Children and poorer adults walked everywhere, and only a minority of farmers had horses and wagons. Many loads of freight were drawn not by horses but by much slower-moving oxen. With a good horse, it took from four to six days, depending on the weather, to travel from Boston to New York. And this was on the best roads, which ran between major cities along the coast. Inland, the roads were even worse, turning to impassable mud when it rained or to choking dust when the weather was dry.
But beginning around 1790, a series of changes was beginning that historians have called “The Transportation Revolution.” Americans—and New Englanders in particular—rebuilt and vastly extended their roads. More than 3,700 miles of turnpikes, or toll roads, were built in New England between 1790 and 1820. Continuing through the 1840s, many thousands of miles of improved county and town roads were constructed as well. The new roads were far better constructed and maintained, and allowed for much faster travel. In response, the number of vehicles on the roads increased rapidly, far faster than population. It was noted in 1830 that Americans were driving a “multitudinous generation of travelling vehicles” that had been “totally unknown” in the 1790s. Stagecoach lines had spread across the Northeastern states, using continual relays, or “stages,” of fresh horses spaced out every 40 miles or so. They made travel, if not enjoyable, at least faster, less expensive, and less perilous than it had ever been. The 1830s had reduced the travel time between Boston and New York to a day and a half. Good roads and stages extended across southern New England, the lower Hudson Valley in New York, and southeastern Pennsylvania.
The most radical changes in the speed, scale and experience of traveling came with the application of newly emerging transportation technologies—the railroad, the steamboat, and the building of canals—to American conditions. Beginning with Robert Fulton’s Clermont, which successfully made the journey up the Hudson from New York City to Albany in 1807, Americans developed steamboats to ply both the deeper eastern rivers and the shallower western ones. Although steamboats were sometimes dangerously prone to fires and boiler explosions, they traveled faster, met tighter schedules and could travel against the river current far more effectively than rafts and barges. Steamboats vastly expanded passenger travel on the rivers and carried much higher value cargo upstream.
Americans turned as well to the massive infrastructure project of canal building, as the British had done decades earlier. Canals promised far less expensive transportation of farm produce, manufactured goods and passengers, but it was often difficult for them to return profits to their investors. The Erie Canal, traversing the breadth of New York State to connect Albany and Buffalo in 1825, was the great success among American canals. It opened up an enormous agricultural hinterland for trade with New York City and New England. In New England, New York and Pennsylvania, Americans created a vast system of inland waterways that significantly reduced transportation costs, although none of them matched the success of the Erie.
After 1830, the railroad or, as most Americans at that time said, the “Rail Way,” emerged as the most dramatic of the new technologies of transportation. Its speed and power was unprecedented. With good weather, a good road and rested horses, a stagecoach might manage eight or nine miles an hour. The small locomotives of the 1830s, pulling a handful of cars over uneven track, could travel at fifteen to twenty miles an hour. This was twice as fast, over long distances, as anything Americans had previously experienced. By 1840, 3000 miles of railroad track had been laid down, most of it concentrated in the Northeast. This meant that travel between directly connected cities could be much faster than before; a trip between Boston and Worcester now took less than 2 hours, and travelers could reach New York City from Boston in less than a day, using both coastal steamship and railway.
But before 1840 only a relatively small minority of Americans had felt its impact, and railway travel was both noisy (from the grating and squealing of iron wheels on the tracks) and dirty (from showers of ash and cinders from wood-burning locomotives). In the next twenty years the railroad, growing ever faster, more powerful and more efficient, would become America’s dominant mode of transportation east of the Mississippi, sweeping away the stage lines and even making some of the canals obsolete.
The years between 1790 and 1840 saw a true revolution in transportation even before the coming of the railroad. By 1840, transportation costs had been greatly reduced and travel had become faster by a factor of 5 or more. These changes made possible America’s first “Industrial Revolution,” the widespread development of commercial agriculture in the Midwest, and a national system of markets and the distribution of goods. Many ordinary Americans could now become travelers for pleasure and even the pathways of westward migration had become much faster and safer.
Timeline of Transportation
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| 3500 BC | Fixed wheels on carts are invented - the first wheeled vehicles in history. Other early wheeled vehicles include the chariot. |
| 3500 BC | River boats are invented - ships with oars |
| 2000 BC | Horses are domesticated and used for transportation. |
| 181-234 | The wheelbarrow is invented. |
| 770 | Iron horseshoes improve transportation by horse |
| 1492 | Leonardo da Vinci first to seriously theorize about flying machines - with over 100 drawings that illustrated his theories on flight |
| 1620 | Cornelis Drebbel invented the first submarine - an human oared submersible |
| 1662 | Blaise Pascal invents the first public bus - horse-drawn, regular route, schedule, and fare system |
| 1740 | Jacques de Vaucanson demonstrates his clockwork powered carriage |
| 1783 | First practical steamboat demonstrated by Marquis Claude Francois de Jouffroy d'Abbans - a paddle wheel steamboat |
| 1783 | The Montgolfier brothers invent the first hot air balloons |
| 1787 | Steamboat invented |
| 1769 | First self-propelled road vehicle invented by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot |
| 1790 | Modern bicycles invented |
| 1801 | Richard Trevithick invented the first steam powered locomotive (designed for roads) |
| 1807 | Isaac de Rivas makes a hydrogen gas powered vehicle - first with internal combustion power - however, very unsuccessful design |
| 1807 | First steamboat with regular passenger service - inventor Robert Fulton's Clermont |
| 1814 | George Stephenson invents the first practical steam powered railroad locomotive |
| 1862 | Jean Lenoir makes a gasoline engine automobile |
| 1867 | First motorcycle invented |
| 1868 | George Westinghouse invents the compressed air locomotive brake - enabled trains to be stopped with fail-safe accuracy |
| 1871 | First cable car invented |
| 1885 | Karl Benz builds the world's first practical automobile to be powered by an internal combustion engine |
| 1899 | Ferdinand von Zeppelin invents the first successful dirigible - the Zeppelin |
| 1903 | The Wright Brothers invent and fly the first engined airplane |
| 1907 | Very first helicopter - unsuccessful design |
| 1908 | Henry Ford improves the assembly line for automobile manufacturing |
| 1908 | Hydrofoil boats co-invented by Alexander Graham Bell & Casey Baldwin - boats that skimmed water |
| 1926 | First liquid propelled rocket launched |
| 1940 | Modern helicopters invented |
| 1947 | First supersonic jet flight |
| 1956 | Hovercraft invented |
| 1964 | Bullet train transportation invented |
| 1969 | First manned mission (Apollo) to the Moon |
| 1970 | First jumbo jet |
| 1981 | Space shuttle launched |
Concept of Land Transportation in the Philippines
The concept of land transportation system in the Philippines started when our ancestors invented means of locomotion. The early means of transportation used was animals in moving people and goods from place to place. Although the means of land transportation during the early days were not as sophisticated as the modern vehicles of today and the roads were as well constructed, the early Filipinos also observed some forms of laws to govern their mobility. These laws were as informal and simple as specifying which animal could be used for certain purposes. However, the existence of these rules showed that our ancestors had already felt the need to regulate the transportation system. As early as 1910, few motor vehicles were seen operating in the public highways in Manila and suburbs. Better means of transportation were invented and introduced in the country. Gradually, the Filipinos learned to use cars, trucks, jeeps and other types of vehicles. The means of transportation became better and powerful and the laws governing land travel became more formal and sophisticated. On February 6, 1912, Legislative Act No. 2159 was enacted to regulate motor vehicles in the Philippine Islands and to provide for the regulation and licensing of operators. This was the first formal law on land transportation. This law created an Automobile Section under the Administrative Division of the Bureau of Public Works. The Section was tasked to take charge of motor vehicles and drivers' services. Later on, Legislative Act 2159 was amended by 2256, 2389, 2587, 2639 and 2925. In 1922, Act No. 3045 was passed into law compiling and incorporating all laws governing motor vehicles. The Automobile Section was upgraded to the Automobile Division still under the Bureau of Public Works. On January 1, 1933, Act No. 3992 0therwise known as the "Revised Motor Vehicle Law" was enacted amending Act No. 3045. The Automobile Division was renamed Division of Motor Vehicles. The Chief of the Division was called the Superintendent of Division of Motor Vehicles. Act No. 3992 was amended by Commonwealth Act Nos. 123, 548, 556, 652 and Republic Act No. 314, 587 and 2383. On June 2, 1945, Department Order No. 4 was issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways reorganizing the Division. This took effect after the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese invasion. In 1947, Executive Order No. 94 was promulgated reorganizing the different executive departments, bureaus and offices. Under Section 82 of this E.O., the Division of Motor Vehicles was upgraded into the Motor Vehicles Office (MVO) with the category of the Bureau. The Chief of the MVO enjoyed the rights and privileges of a Bureau Director. During the fifties and early sixties, our country started undergoing rapid economic development. Industrialization advanced. As a consequence, more and better roads were constructed. The Filipinos then realized the need for more and better means of transportation. The growth in the number of vehicles increased the demand for services that the MVO must render to the public. This necessitated the issuance by the DPWH on June 5, 1961 of Administrative Regulation No. 1 transferring the function of collecting the registration and miscellaneous fees from the provincial and city treasurers to the various vehicle agencies of MVO. On June 20, 1964, R.A. No. 4136, otherwise known as the "Land Transportation and Traffic Code" was enacted abolishing the Motor Vehicle Office and creating the Land Transportation Commission. This law likewise partially repealed Act No. 3992. The Code provided that the Land Transportation Commission shall "control as far as they apply, the registration and operation of motor vehicles and the licensing of owners, dealers, conductors, drivers and similar matters." To effectively carry out its mandate, the Land Transportation Commission established regional offices in various parts of the country. On July 23, 1979, Executive Order No. 546 was promulgated creating the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC). This marked another reorganization.
The Land Transportation Commission was renamed as the Bureau of Land Transportation and was absorbed by MOTC. On March 20, 1985, Executive Order 1011 was promulgated. This Executive Order nullified the Board of Transportation and the Bureau of Land Transportation and established the Land Transportation Commission. The defunct BOT and BLT were merged and their powers, functions and responsibilities were transferred to the Land Transportation Commission (LTC) headed by a Chairman assisted by four Commissioners. The LTC was tasked to perform functions such as registering motor vehicles, licensing of drivers and conductors, franchising of public utility vehicles and enforcing land transportation rules and regulations. On January 30, 1987, the land Transportation Commission was abolished and two offices were created, namely: Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). The LTO took over the functions of the former BLT and the LTFRB took over the functions of the BOT. The MOTC was likewise renamed as the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). All these changes took effect with the promulgation of Executive Order No. 125 which was later on amended by Executive Order No. 125-A dated April 13, 1987 and 226 dated July 25, 1987. Despite the changes in names of the Office and all the reorganization that took effect, its basic functions on land transportation system remain the same. The promotion of safety and comfort in land travel is its continuing commitment.
Role of Land Transportation Office in the Philippines
The Philippines' Land Transportation Office (Filipino: Tanggapan ng Transportasyong-Lupa), abbreviated as LTO, is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Transportation and Communications responsible for optimizing the land transportation service and facilities and to effectively implement the various transportation laws, rules and regulations
The LTO envisions a well-developed transportation system that will play a vital role in improving the quality of life of the Filipino people, particularly in providing a more viable means of land transport and a secured travel for transport users and commuters. To rationalize the land transportation service and facilities and to implement effectively the various transportation laws, rules and regulations.
Mandate & Main Functions
1.Inspection and Registration of Motor Vehicles
2. Issuance of Licenses and Permits
3. Enforcement of Land Transportation Rules and Regulations
4. Adjudication of Traffic Cases
5. Collection of Revenues for the Government
