Unless otherwise stated, all files are in Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf).

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TRN-37: Assessment of Road Funds in South Asia Region  (PDF 585 KB)
Jean-Noel Guillossou and Natalya Stankevich

TRN-34: Transport as a Factor in the Investment Climate  (PDF 125 KB) 
Naomi Aoki and Peter Roberts, August 2006

The purpose of this Note is to provide guidance for decision makers, engineers and administrators on selecting the most appropriate surface for unsealed road given the prevailing conditions. It is based on the report "Surfacing Alternatives for Unsealed Roads" (Henning, et al.2005 - PDF, 4,404KB).

TRN-32: Highway and Railway Development in India and China, 1992-2002  (PDF 360KB)
Clel Harral, Jit Sondhi and Guang Zhe Chen, May 2006

India and China have both been experiencing high growth rates over the last two decades. Until a decade ago, the road networks in both the countries were severely deficient as compared to those in other developing countries, and the railways too desired substantial improvement. However, in the past 10 years both the countries have made good progress in these sectors. This note compares the experience of both the countries in terms of the development and performance of the highways and railways sector over a period of 10 years from 1992 to 2002.

TRN-30: Data Collection Technologies for Road Management (PDF 145KB)
Christopher R. Bennett, Hernán de Solminihac and Alondra Chamorro, May 2006

The purpose of this note is to give a general view of the currently available survey technologies applied to pavements, bridges and traffic. This includes an assessment of the applicability of these technologies in developing countries. The goal is to assist managers in establishing an appropriate and sustainable data collection program and procuring the appropriate equipment to collect the data. This Note is a summary of the report 'Data Collection Technologies for Road Management.' The full report is available for download.

The TRN-29: Success Factors for Road Management Systems (PDF 118KB)
Kevin McPherson and Christopher R. Bennett, March 2006

This Note describes the different factors associated with ‘successful’ RMS implementations. It is a summary of the report ‘Success Factors for Road Management Systems’. The full report is available for download. A Chinese translation of the Note is also available (MS-Word 164 KB)

TRN-28: Rural Access and Mobility in Pakistan: A Policy Note (PDF 112KB).
Mohammed Dalil Essakali, December 2005

This note presents a number of policy options to improve basic access and promote the mobility of Pakistan’s rural population in support of the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. This is achieved through more focused and community driven interventions to meet the direct needs of the rural population. The current state of rural accessibility and mobility are examined together with their effect on both the social and economic dimensions of rural poverty. Key challenges and constraints to reform are identified.

TRN-27: Performance-based Contracting for Preservation and Improvement of Road Assets (PDF 197KB).
Natalya Stankevich, Navaid Qureshi and Cesar Queiroz, September 2005 (Updated August 2009)

The purpose of this Note is to review the worldwide experience with the PBC approach, highlight the main advantages, the steps involved and the results generated. The document is intended to provide World Bank transport sector staff, Ministries of Transport and road agencies of developing and transition countries with a clear understanding of the benefits, and risks, of applying the PBC approach. A separate Resource Guide offers more detailed information and resources pertaining to performance-based contracting.
This publication is also available in Français (PDF 171KB), Русский (PDF 498KB) and Español (PDF 189KB).

January 2005

In response to many requests for help in the application of both conventional cost benefit analysis in transport and addressing of the newer topics of interest, we have prepared a series of Economic Evaluation Notes that provide guidance on some of issues that have proven more difficult to deal with.

TRN-4: Why Road Maintenance Is Important and How To Get It Done  (PDF 193KB)

Roads, and means of transport, make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits. Poorly maintained roads constrain mobility, significantly raise vehicle operating costs, increase accident rates and their associated human and property costs, and aggravate isolation, poverty, poor health, and illiteracy in rural communities. This Note highlights the economic and social importance of regular road maintenance and recommends ways to achieve sustainable road maintenance with scarce public resources. This Note has been produced with the financial assistance of a grant from TRISP: a partnership between the UK Department for International Development and the World Bank for learning and sharing knowledge in the fields of transport and rural infrastructure services. The Note is also available at the above link in Spanish and French.

TRN-3: Regulation of Taxi Markets in Developing Countries: Issues and Options
(PDF 80KB)
Kenneth M. Gwilliam, February 2005

Taxis perform an important function in urban transport markets in both developed and developing countries. Because of the perceived vulnerability of passengers to exploitation by operators, entry to the market and fares have been tightly regulated in many industrialized countries. This has typically produced high premium values for licenses, implying some monopoly profit for operators at the expense of users. Curiously, however, total deregulation has often increased fares. This note considers the reasons for increased fares despite deregulation, the regulatory options available, and the relevant considerations in applying this experience to developing countries.

TRN-2: Economically Justified Levels of Road Works Expenditures on Unpaved Road (English) (PDF 230KB)
Rodrigo Archondo-Callao, November 2004

This technical note, targeted to road sector professionals, presents a methodology for an analytical study done to access economically justified levels of road works expenditures on unpaved roads with different traffic levels. The results presented in this technical note should be considered no more than a first approximation of country specific results. To obtain country specific results, the methodology should be replicated and adapted with refined country data.
This publication is also available in Spanish.(PDF 227KB)

This Note summarizes the findings of the "World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention"¾ jointly issued on World Health Day 2004 by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank¾ which highlights the growing public health burden of road deaths and injuries in low and middle-income countries , and provides guidelines to assist with the implementation of its recommendations.
This publication is also available in French (PDF 231KB) | Russian (PDF 391KB) | Spanish (PDF 229KB) and Chinese (PDF 233KB)