Road transport: a timeline

Thousands of years ago the people of Egypt and Greece rode in chariots.

Coaches drawn by horses were used for hundreds of years.These coaches were used in the1600s

These children have their own coach, pulled by a donkey

In the 1700s coaches used for long-distance travel were called 'stage coaches' because the journey was undertaken in stages. At each stage, passengers could get on or off, and teams of horses were changed so that speed could be maintained. Stagecoaches carried the mail as well as passengers, and travelled at an average speed of about 11 kilometres an hour.
Twenty five kilometres per day was considered a good day's travel.

One of the first stagecoach companies in Australia was Cobb and Co.

1839 Macmillan's Bicycle
One of the early model bicycles with pedals.These pedals worked in an up and down motion. Macmillan was charged with 'furious driving' for going too fast!

1870 The penny-farthing bicycle.
The correct name for the penny - farthing was the ordinary bicycle.

'Penny -farthing' is a nickname for the bicycle because of its large and small wheel : the largest coin in use at the time was the penny, and the smallest coin was the farthing.

At first, bicycles were thought of just as entertainment but as roads improved in cities and towns the bicycle became a popular means of transport.

1885 The first petrol driven car
It was designed and built by a German engineer, Karl Benz.

It had three wheels and seats for two people. It travelled at thirteen kilometres per hour. The car was built on a frame made of steel tubes and had a steering lever.

A later Benz car

1885 An early petrol-driven motor bike invented by Daimler.

1908 The Model T
It was invented by Henry Ford, called the Tin Lizzie, and was produced on an assembly line which revolutionised manufacturing and made cars affordable for ordinary people.

An early model double-decker bus from the 1900s. Passengers who sat inside paid more than those who sat outside on the top deck.

Motor cars in Australia
The first cars arrived in the 1890s. The first were steam driven. By 1914 there were about 37000 cars and trucks in Australia. Most had been imported from the USA . Holden Brothers began making car bodies for an American company in 1917. The first mass produced car in Australia was the Holden. First one ran off the assembly line on 29 November 1948 at the factory at Fisherman's Bend, Melbourne.

Read about the invention of the 'ute' (utility vehicle) in Australia in 1934
http://www.theopenroad.com.au/motoring_inthemarket_utes.asp
http://www.fastlane.com.au/Features/First_ute.htm

As the number of cars on the roads increased, traffic accidents became common. Road laws had to be introduced to keep drivers, their passengers and pedestrians safe. To help control traffic, the first traffic lights in Australia
were installed in Melbourne in 1928.

Motor scooters became popular in the 1960s

Freeways were built in the 1960s to improve the flow of traffic in and around cities.

In the 1990s people began looking for alternatives to petroleum driven engines. Solar electric cars may become common in the 21st century

Read about the history of cars here: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcar.htm

Hear the sounds of a traffic jam

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, R. & Sydenham, S. Road transport: a timeline [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2005)

Updated March 2009 © kidcyber