Issues and Challenges in Transportation Sector

 Every sector has its issues, and the transportation sector is no different. There are many issues and challenges. Let’s ponder upon some important ones: -

• Land Acquisition- To create a service, one needs to acquire land. Sometimes there is illegal capture of government land, which is meant to construct roads or tracks. 
• Geographical Terrains- India has varied terrains all across the country. Some are plain areas, while some are mountains and plateaus. With such features, providing transportation is indeed a challenge.
• The increasing population- With more people getting born and fewer people dying, meeting the supply and demand for transportation is getting complicated. To serve such a population is a challenge. 
• Growth in the privatization of vehicles and the shift of people towards it- People are shifting towards the private modes of transport, considering that they are safer, better maintained and more comfortable. 
• Environmental issues- Earth is going through a climatic change and the need of the hour is to make our environment sustainable. For this, every sector has to cut down on its greenhouse emissions. The other sectors have been reducing their emissions much faster than transportation. Planes, ships and trucks pose a significant threat because they are dependent on fossil fuels. There can be a shift towards electric vehicles entirely, but that might overwhelm the power grid. A lot has to be figured out. 
• Safety and Health- The transportation sector accounts for the maximum number of injuries and accidents. People are dependent upon motorized transportation, but they should not be at risk of paying the price with their health, deaths and injuries. Adding to that, there is also transport-related pollution which needs to be curbed. It is also necessary to use the safest vehicles with appropriate road designs, reduce alcohol and drug-impaired driving and the operator fatigue management. 
• Durability and Security- With climatic changes, there also comes a lot of damage and destruction. Not just the lives of people, but their money also gets lost. Extreme weathers and natural disasters are huge and also costly threats to the sector. There is the challenge of creating durable and resilient roadways, waterways, airports, and transit stations in such situations. Terrorists also target transportation facilities. So, there is the need for increased security. With Technological advancements, creating a secure system gets more challenging. 
• Increasing technological development has both been beneficial and disadvantageous for the sector. However, training workers to use the tech has been a challenge. In addition, there is the threat of cyber-crime. Automated transportation systems promise improvements in efficiency, mobility and safety, but they cannot guarantee that. Also, they could cause more congestion and increased pollution. The challenge is to diminish the negativities and solely benefit from these advancements.
• Reducing social mobility gaps- we have people who are disabled, poor people. Then there are women and transgender people. A sound transportation system serves people in its entirety. It should be so perfect that no one is dissuaded from accessing it. 

There are some other challenges, too, like- Integration of transport, faulty transportation management, creating a diverse workforce, moving freight and preparing for the future. 

It is a known fact that the modern world can not live without a safer, reliable and extensive transportation system. Of course, we can’t predict what will happen, but it is necessary to be prepared to face and manage it.