Transportation is one of many factors that influence health in many societies. The level of a transportation system describes the distance traveled by civilizations. Transportation is defined as the movement of goods and services from one place to another. Transportation paves the way for many developments in societies. Developments are processes that improve the quality of life of a community, province or country as a whole (Simon,1996). There are many types of developments, but this paper focuses on developments that revolve around how transportation as a development is able to influence the health and well-being of the country. In this review we will discuss the positive and negative impacts of transportation on the health and well-being of the people of Papua New Guinea. The main types or modes of a transportation system There are different types of transportation used all over the world and the main ones are land transportation, sea or river transportation and air transportation and these transportations have been used based on the mode of transportation. The main modes of transport are waterways, railways, air pipelines and roads. In Papua New Guinea the most common transport systems are land (roads), air (airstrips and airports) and sea or river (waterways). People living along rivers or the coast use canoes and boats to reach places. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay People who have access to roads are able to use cars, trucks, and buses to travel longer distances. While others, in remote areas that have access to neither, resort to airways by traveling by planes and helicopters. Many young people are seen traveling the shortest distances on bicycles, while others resort to walking along dirt roads and paths. Transportation System with Positive ImpactsEconomicA good transportation system brings economic growth to a nation. For example, Papua New Guinea exports raw materials such as copper, gas and other mineral resources and imports manufactured goods into the country through maritime transport. With greater economic growth, the government is able to allocate more funding to improve healthcare, infrastructure and other basic services for its population. Industries and customers are able to market and purchase products in a larger market with the accessibility of a good transportation system (Coyle, Novack, Gibson, & Bardi, 2011) both nationally and internationally. Planes bring tourists from abroad to visit the country and stimulate the tourism industry, providing local communities with enough money to provide for their families. Public transport (taxis and buses) takes people to and from work, hospital, markets and any place that can be included in their itinerary. Effective transportation gets people to work on time, allowing employees to be efficient and focused. Rural areas undergo a transportation transformation by building highways to connect provinces and communities. Therefore, providing markets for the establishment of trading systems and for the provision of services by the government (Simon, 1996). Due to the availability of road connectivity, locals can bring their fresh produce to sell along the highway. This saves time, money and brings peace to their minds. A good example of this can be seen along Papua New Guinea's many highways. And they're providing a much-needed service to hungry travelers traveling up and down the highway. Social School children can attendschool away from home or nearby using bicycles and public transport. Consider a student who walks several miles to school, he will definitely be tired after arriving at school and another trip back home when he is done. For a young person to be so active can be very exhausting especially when participating in school activities. Students are able to attend school on time, saving enough energy each morning to stay focused in school and return home after finishing their daily routine. All these activities contribute to the economic and social growth of a country or state. Transportation also saves lives in relation to emergency health services. Many health emergencies require planes, buses, cars, etc. to transport patients to hospitals. In situations like this, lives are saved due to the availability of transportation. All these are considered positive in society because they improve their livelihood and create an efficient pattern of travel every day. The transport is also used to transport medical supplies to rural and urban health facilities. A good transportation system is needed to deliver these supplies on time before the facilities' supplies of medicines run out. It also transports healthcare workers, construction supplies for new aid stations or maintenance materials for a community health center. The mode of transportation used in this particular situation may depend on the geographic location of the healthcare facilities. If it is closer to land then land transport can be used, if it is closer to waterways then a ship, pirogue or the more modern form of canoe, a motorized canoe or simply called a banana boat. Areas that do not have access to the two types of transportation use small airplanes where there are landing strips, and those without landing strips use helicopters. Negative impacts of a transportation system Transportation can also cause problems. Environmental, social, law and order and other problems that could have negative consequences on people's lives. Behind every good thing there is always a bad thing. Environmental Destruction of the environment also occurs when roads and airstrips are built. And that destruction also contributes to biodiversity loss when organisms' habitats are destroyed for human development. Transportation also increases the amount of pollution in the atmosphere. Vehicle imports into the country are increasing as people buy private vehicles, thus the number of gas emissions increases. In urban areas, especially in larger cities, traffic jams are very common every day and increase the stress level of drivers. The destruction also leads to another environmental problem, pollution. Air pollution due to large amounts of gas emissions into the atmosphere. According to Black and Black (2009), it lowers the quality of oxygen we need to breathe, impacts climate change, and also contributes to health problems such as asthma and chronic diseases. Another form of pollution is noise pollution, as many private cars and public motor vehicles produce very loud noises on the roads. Some drivers feel stressed, agitated and moody when they hear all the noise around. And that stress can lead to heart attack or stroke because their minds are not stable. SocialUrban migration is another problem that affects the health and well-being of the population. When transportation is accessible, people leave rural areas for cities and towns for a better life. They pour into the city, populating it. The schools, the hospitals, theclinics, markets, shops are quite overcrowded in cities and towns. But cities and towns remain expensive due to the high cost of living, so urban migrants are forced to live in slums. The crime rate increases as some of them seek other means of work to survive. From one end of the city to the other, they wander around for their next meal of food and some change. The victim could be an unsuspecting passenger in a bus, a taxi or a person going to the market, bank, school or hospital. Buses and walking are their means of transportation as they spread across cities in search of their targets. Transport also contributes to the spread of new diseases in a community. When there is development in an area, people from outside would also explore the area. They too would like to take part in that development. They will bring with them new ideas, new developments and new diseases. Diseases spread in the area and as soon as a carrier of the disease travels to another nearby community, diseases spread in that community as it becomes the arrival destination of the carrier. The more people are able to move, the greater the spread of disease. For example, during the construction of the Mendi-Koroba Highway as part of the Okuk (Highland Highway), workers suffering from malaria from other parts of the country and then employed by the construction company, managed to transmit the disease to local people in communities along the highway (Simon, 1996). Traffic congestions and road accidents occur frequently with the increase in transportation. Many drivers and pedestrians are always traveling every day to work in cities or areas near cities. With the overcrowding of urban areas, many unfortunate accidents occur. Many lives are lost due to road accidents and injuries are also caused by road accidents. Traffic congestions are a daily norm in urban areas, they are very stressful, time consuming and cost a lot of money (Coyle and Novack, 2011). The longer the vehicle sits in a traffic jam or congestion while the engine is running, the more fuel is consumed. This means more money will have to be spent on fuel to enable daily travel back and forth. For people who commute by public motor vehicles, their working hours are being eaten up, which means they will face pay cuts and this is very frustrating for working class commuters. In many developed countries, private vehicle drivers are very lazy in walking and exercising. They are so dependent on travel and car rides that they are too lazy to work. They eat, sleep and go to work without consuming their body's calories or even getting their blood pumping through their body. This lifestyle is creating many unhealthy and obese people around the world. Developing nations are adapting to this type of lifestyle. They are difficult to walk, even if going to a nearby store to buy goods is too burdensome for them, they prefer to drive instead. Some solutions for negative impacts In Papua New Guinea some of the negative impacts can be controlled by the government with relevant policies to prevent them from harming or reducing the quality of life of all societies. Policies such as high penalty for drunk drivers and speeding to prevent accidents and also increase traffic forces to ensure the safety of goods, services and passengers a. And build secondary roads to avoid traffic congestion and build more trails and dirt bike paths for.
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