ABSTRACT
Introduction The impact of technological change in the transport sector since the late nineteenth century has been as dramatic as in other spheres of life. Four particular innovations stand out in this respect: the spread of railways, the popularisation of motor vehicles driven by internal combustion engines, the introduction and dramatic growth in longhaul air travel (especially by jet aircraft) and the unitisation (or containerisation) of sea freight. However, their adoption has not been universal and their impact has been far from uniform or neutral. While certain groups of people, whether defined socially, economically or geographically, have invariably gained from each of them, others have suffered or had their livelihoods and development prospects undermined.
