The regulation of transporation in the Kingdom of Altland is entrusted to the Vice-Chancellery for Transport within the Chancellery for the Common Weal. This is further sub-divided into the Division of Roads and Highways, the Division of Railroads, the Division of Internal Waterways, and the newest, created only after the restoration of the Monarchy in early May, 299 -- the Division of Air Transport. Sea-going transport is regulated by the Royal Coast Guard under the Chancellery for the Forces.

         The transportation policy of the kingdom is premised upon three principles:

                  1. All inhabitants of the kingdom should enjoy safe, efficient, unhindered travel within its boundaries and should have free and easy access to the means of travelling to foreign lands.

                  2. Public means of mass transport should be extensive, reliable, and inexpensive enough so that all inhabitants are able to use it as their ordinary means of travel; hence, increased use of private vehicles should be passively discouraged.

                  3. Transportation policy should be guided by a constant concern to minimize the destruction and polution of the natural environment.

These three principles are applied in conjunction with two other higher, more general principles of Altlandic government: the principle of subsidiarity and the principle of respect for custom.

         In accordance with the second and third principles ennunciated above, The Kingdom of Altland passively discourages ownership and use of private vehicles which run on petroleum-burning internal combustion engines. The one domestic automobile manufacturer, Strada Motors, whose main plant is located in the city of Stradavaria (Orl.), specializes in large, luxury-class cars, trucks, and buses. (Another firm, Ruralta, manufactures tractors and other heavy equipment.) A subsidiaryof Strada, Electrostrada, sited in the newly developed city of Magneta (Sper.), has begun the limited manufacture of small private vehicles powered by electric motors. His Altlandic Majesty's government continues to provide a generous subsidy for research and development of such vehicles. Importation of motor vehicles from manufacturers in foreign lands is strictly controlled and limited by the Board of Foreign Trade in the Chancellery for Diplomatic Relations. Ultimately, however, "passive discouragement" of private motorvehicular transportation is accomplished most effectively through the licensing of private automobiles under the Chancellery for the Common Weal.

         Although the system of licensing and registration is national, so that drivers' licenses and vehicle registrations are valid and "portable" throughout the country, it is administered locally, by officials who are either personally acquainted with the applicants (especially in rural areas) or who can easily investigate the truthfulness of their applications. Competence in driving a motorvehicle is expected of all Altlanders who have attained full adult status and in some jurisdictions is actually a required part of the Third Scrutiny (Cf. under Education). Those who demonstrate the required knowledge and practical skill are granted a life-long "National Driver's Certificate"which attests to this and authorizes the operation of all classes of vehicle except for those whose safe operation demands further specialized skills.. (The operation of such vehicles is separately licensed by another department of the Vice-chancellery for Transport.)

         The registration of a private motor vehicle, however, requires the applicant owner to show that the use of the vehicle can be justified in terms of the owner's or his household's employment, education, or health and safety. Furthermore, fuel consumption to meet these needs must be estimated annually, so that a coupon booklet can be issued to permit the purchase of a corresponding amount by the owner/operator of a particular registered motorvehicle. Vehicles are required to display government-issued front and rear registration plates bearing the registration number, the province of registration, and seals showing the month and year of the next required safety inspection and registration renewal.

         Altland's highway system (Cf. map) has been built, maintained, and administered by four levels of government: national, provincial, regional, and local, each with its characteristic signage. The national government is responsible for two kinds of highways, royal and national. The Royal Highways, originally built by the kings of Altland and Romandia and following ancient pathways connecting all of the provinciall capitals and certain other major cities, are maintained by the national government out of its regularly collected revenues. The National Highways, built more recently and often consisting of parts of former provincial highways connected to form a supplementary interprovincial network, are funded out of a special assessment levied on each provincial government according to the number of vehicles registered within it. Provincial highways are built and maintained by each province to connect major population centers within it and are sometimes tied into the Royal and National systems. Within each province there is a sub-system of county roads and highways, some of them very old, which provide a network that reaches all its settlements of whatever size. Finally, within estates and incorporated settlements are local roads and streets which give access to business and dwellings but are not intended for through traffic. These are maintained either privately (as within the boundaries of estates), by private maintenance associations, or by local and municipal levies.