📘 Part 3: Transport

This episode's vocabulary

Means (plural noun) - a method or way of doing something.

Shortfall (noun) - an amount that is less than the level that was expected or needed.

Track (noun) - the pair of long metal bars fixed on the ground at an equal distance from each other, along which trains travel.

To take leave (phrase) - to say goodbye.

Funding (noun) - money given by a government or organization for an event or activity.

To channel (verb) - to direct something into a particular place or situation.

Disrepair (noun) - the state of being broken or old and needing to be repaired.

To resurface (verb) - to put a new surface on a road.

Intricacies (phrase) - complicated details.

Custom (noun) - a way of behaving or a belief that has been established for a long time.

Interactive (adj.) - involving communication between people.

To reenact (verb) - to repeat the actions of an event that happened in the past as a hobby or as a performance.

Re-enactment (noun) - an occasion on which people re-enact an event.

Put/throw a spanner in the works (idiom) - to do something that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding.

Stymie (verb) - to prevent something from happening or someone from achieving a purpose.

Terrain (noun) - an area of land, when considering its natural features.

Questions and Answers

M: What are the main means of transport in your country?

R: Probably the same as in most Western countries, I'd imagine. We have family cars and community bus routes and National Rail services to get people where they want to be.

M: How is travelling now different to how it was in the past?

R: Broadly speaking, there's great variety and the distance that can be covered. And the places you can get to. Well, and the means you can use to get there, actually. It might even be more comfortable depending on how much investment there has been.

M: And has it improved?

R: Oh, God, well, actually, it's probably worse than it was 40 years ago. There's a multibillion-pound shortfall in infrastructure investment in my country alone. The roads are falling apart and train tracks stopped working in the snow. And planes are increasingly reporting faults. It's as if the people responsible have taken leave of their senses or something.

M: What can the government do to improve transport in your country?

R: Well, at the very least, it could do its job by securing the necessary funding and channelling it to the right projects. There was a right kerfuffle over our high-speed rail lines a few months ago because it was completely unnecessary when current rail lines need upgrading. And on top of that, it's the job of the government to enforce safety regulations to prevent things from falling into disrepair. So doing any of these things would be a great start.

M: How can transportation in rural areas be developed?

R: Well, I often wonder if it should, or if we should try to preserve the countryside in some way, but without denying people free access to it. Maybe it's not possible when I think about it. At the very least the roads could be resurfaced and well-maintained to keep things safe for the people who live there, or those passing through.

M: How can tourist attractions help people learn about new cultures?

R: Well, it depends on the nature of the attraction, I suppose. I mean, taking pictures of yourself with pyramids in the background isn't exactly going to help you understand the intricacies of ancient Egyptian customs, is it? But if it's a museum, they could have interactive exhibits and lessons and re-enactments to show how things worked and how they might relate to life nowadays.

M: In what ways could technology make travelling more difficult?

R: Well, if it fails to work or underperforms in certain conditions, then that will definitely throw a spanner in the works, won't it? I mean, people often talk about how mud can stymie efforts to get across relatively flat terrain like the Russian steppe, for example.