1. Read the Text *** Urban Public Transport

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, travel was, on the whole, by horse or on foot_. It was only about the middle of the 16th century that the first wheeled coach appeared in Britain. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the situation radically changed; civic life and form was altered almost beyond recognition as a great wave of migration from the countryside was initiated. The result was that villages became towns and towns became cities – and this was accompanied by the beginning of what is now known as the population explosion (e.g. in 1800, the population of England and Wales was only about nine million, two-thirds of whom could be classified as rural dwellers).

As the population increased, the need for efficient public transport facilities became evident, particularly in towns, and many far-sighted and entrepreneurial businessmen saw profits in providing these transport services (for it must be remembered that public transport was a profitable enterprise until well into the 20th century).

4 July 1829 saw the initiation of mass public transport in towns when Mr. George Shillibeer started his 20-passenger horse ‘omnibus’ service in London between the village of Paddington and the Bank.

22 April 1833 saw Mr. Walter Hancock testing his 14-passenger steam omnibus service over the same route.

30 August I860 saw the beginning of the end of the horse-bus when Mr. George Train initiated a horse-tram service in Birkenhead. It could carry more people more comfortably and more quickly than could the horse-bus.

10 January 1863 saw the opening of the world’s first underground railway, the first part of the Metropolitan (steam) Railway between Paddington and Farringdon.

29 September 1885 saw the first electric street tramway at Blackpool – and this initiated the death of the horse-tram. The electric tram had a really tremendous effect upon town development, for, within twenty-five years, nearly every town in Britain had its own network of electric tramways. Typically, these radiated outwards from the central area and serviced settlements clustered along these routes. Thus transport development began to be clearly associated with the now-familiar pattern whereby residential densities decline from zone to zone from the town centre outwards.

12 April 1903 saw the start of the first municipally-operated motor bus service at Eastbourne. This was important for two reasons. Firstly, it marked the first occasion that a municipality assumed responsibility for providing a public transport system in a town. Secondly, the motorbus service brought the suburbs within easier reach of the town centre and, since it was not forced to stay on fixed routes, it helped to consolidate urban sprawl.

2. Reading Comprehension

1. What type of couch appeared in Britain about the middle of the 16th

century?

2. Who were efficient public transport facilities provided for?

3. Why was the municipally – operated service important?

3. Vocabulary Focus

A. Match each word on the left with a noun on the right. Use each word once only. Write your answers in the boxes.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

1. wheeled a. railway

2. rural b. enterprise

3. transport c. coach

4. profitable d. density

5. underground e. rout

6. town f. dwellers

7. residential g. facilities

8. fixed h. development

B. Find the words in the text which mean the following and write them in the blanks. ***

1. An area where people live which is away from the centre of a town or city.

_____________________

2. A system of lines, roads etc. that cross each other and are connected to each

other.

_____________________

3. A bus with comfortable seats used for long journeys.

_____________________

4. A large carriage pulled by horses and used in the past for carrying

passengers.

_____________________

5. Land that is outside cities and towns.

______________________

6. An old – fashioned name of a bus.

______________________

7. A company, organization or business.

______________________

8. A vehicle for passengers, which travels along metal tracks in the street.

______________________

9. A group of houses and buildings where people live, especially in a place

where few people have lived before.

______________________

10. A large area that is different from other areas around it in some way.

______________________