Rural Transport Overview

What is Rural Transport?

Rural transport comprises the transport activities which take place at local government, community and household levels. It includes the rural transport services for passengers and freight by non-motorized and motorized means of transport and rural transport infrastructure, mainly rural roads, tracks, trails, paths and footbridges, and in some cases rural water and airways.

What Does Rural Transport in Developing Countries Look Like?

The length of the classified or designated rural road network is usually two to three times the length of the main and provincial network, however, on average they carry only about 10 percent of the total traffic in vehicle-kilometers. Responsibility for these roads is not always clear but normally lies with local government, sometimes supported by a designated central agency. Often, these roads are in bad condition only seasonally passable and poorly maintained. Many communities are still without motorable access at all.

Additionally, there exists a vast network of community tracks, trails, paths and footbridges, of unknown length. Responsibility for this community level infrastructure lies by default with the local population. Transport activities on this infrastructure take place mainly by foot and by non-motorized means of transport.

Rural transport services (RTS) are mainly provided by the private sector. Provision of RTS is often hampered by regulatory constraints (restricted market access, excessive taxation and import restrictions) and unsuitable market structures (existence of cartels, lack of credit facilities and weak private sector). In Africa, due to the above problems and the existing low density of demand, RTS are two to five times more expensive than in Asia.

Non-motorized means of transport, such as bicycles and animal carts, are, besides walking, the main means of transport in rural areas of developing countries. Women and children often bear the brunt of the transport load in terms of time and tonnage.

Main Challenges and Trends

Lack of Rural Transport Policy and Strategy. The development of national rural transport policy and strategy is a first priority intervention to improve rural transportation. Past efforts have often been fragmented and unsustainable, in part due to the lack of a coherent framework for the subsector. Key issues that the rural transport policy and strategy need to address include: (i) the clarification of ownership of rural transport infrastructure, (ii) local capacity building (through public-private partnership), (iii) financing of maintenance (through cost-share arrangements with local governments and communities/road associations), (iv) the provision of rural transport services, including both motorized and non-motorized means of transport, and (v) use of least cost methods and appropriate standards.

Weak Management Capacity at Local Levels. If rural roads are managed at central level, insufficient attention is given to local priorities but the responsible entity is often technically stronger than when roads are managed by local government agencies. Various options exist for enhancing the management capacity of local entities for rural transport infrastructure, including the use of consultants, contract management agencies and the creation of joint services committees.

Ownership and Responsibilities are Unclear. There is a need to provide a coherent legal framework and clear assignments of management responsibilities for both the local government and the community rural transport infrastructure. Few countries have achieved this but many are working towards it having realized the importance of bringing all roads under regular maintenance.

Inadequate Financing. Administrative decentralization is not sufficient-fiscal decentralization is required coupled with central government transfers. Past focus has been on allocation of donors funds for capital works. There is a need to establish an adequate and steady source of financing for road maintenance and consolidate the planning and budgeting of capital and recurrent works. The new generation road funds provide opportunity for cost-sharing with rural road agencies.

Inadequate Standards. Rural roads are often over-designed, resulting in waste of scarce resources which leaves poorer communities unconnected or with unreliable access. Over-design can be a result of political pressure, attempts to overcome institutional and financial weaknesses, or the application of standard designs by road type instead of actual traffic. Where vehicle flows are low, first priority should be given to the establishment of basic access (least-cost, reliable all-season access), where affordable, and the improvement of intra- and near village simple infrastructures such as foot-bridges and tracks. Once these basic needs have been met, existing basic access roads can be considered for upgrading to higher standards, if economically justified.

Planning and Selection Processes have Withered Away. Establish participatory planning processes using physical and economic planning tools. District/Local Government transport master plans are the tools for the participatory physical planning process. The economic planning process can be based on cost-effectiveness criteria (cost per population served) if a least-cost approach has been applied and the infrastructure serves mainly social objectives. In case of economic investment objectives, such as the upgrading of an existing basic access road to a fully engineered road, or the provision of an alternative shorter access, appropriate cost-benefit approaches should be applied.

Replacement of Force Account Execution. Civil works, including maintenance, are increasingly performed by the private sector. The creation of local small scale labor-based contractors should be encouraged, mainly through proper contract management and packaging, and the provision of training. Road agencies should sell their equipment to the private sector and encourage the establishment of private leasing companies.

Promoting Private Provision of Rural Transport Services. Adjustment of taxes and duties, and elimination of price fixing and licensing constraints are strategic measures through which governments can promote better transport services. Improving transport services include stimulating the use of low-cost vehicles (bicycles and animal carts) by the urban and rural poor, particularly by facilitating access to credit.