This review attempts to draw together the key issues in rural transport in developing countries. It draws on the recent literature together with the author's own research in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. The purpose of the review is to redress the balance away from a "roads-only" approach to a more integrated view of rural accessibility which includes planning for the provision of vehicle services. The key issues covered include: (a) the importance of transport in satisfying basic needs and the relationship between accessibility, mobility and rural development; (b) the nature of rural transport and possible solutions to relieving the burden of village level travel, and the disproportionate effect that this burden has on women; (c) the role of non-motorised, agricultural and conventional modes of transport are explored together with the constraints to their introduction and operation; and (d) the importance of the market in enabling the efficient and low cost operation of transport services. (A)
Abstract