An effect of transportation improvements on settlements was that:

People were willing to live farther away from their work.

Explanation:

The effect of transportation improvements on settlements was that people were willing to live farther away from their work.  The improvement resulted to an increase in the number of settlements far away from factories and urban centres as people could easily commute between their homes and work. This  was through the development of National roads, steamboats and the construction of canals which facilitated the transportation of people and goods.