UNIT 6 RURAL TRANSPORT

Introduction
A second possible solution to urban transport problems was identified and analysed
in the previous unit.

In unit 6 the concepts of accessibility and mobility will be explored and transport
problems in rural areas will be addressed. Finally the initiatives to address rural
transport problems will be highlighted.

The following topics will be addressed in this unit:

Topic 6.1: Accessibility and Mobility

Topic 6.2: Introduction to rural transport
Topic 6.3: Basic rural transport problems
Topic 6.4 Initiatives to address the problems (Rural Transport Strategy SA)
Topic 6.5: Summary

Outcomes that will be covered in this unit

At the end of this unit the student is expected to:
1 Define accessibility
2 Define mobility
3 Identify and explain the basic rural transport problems
4 Discuss possible solutions that can be used to enhance accessibility to
various facilities and services

Introduction:

Unit 5 identified a second possible initiative to reduce the negative effects of urban
transport problems. In unit 6 mobility and accessibility will be defined and rural
transport problems will be identified alongside a brief summary of long-distance
transport.

Topic 6.1 Accessibility and Mobility

The concepts of mobility and accessibility are straightforward. The dictionary defines
mobility as "the ability to move or be moved" and accessibility as “the ability to be
reached". (In recent years the term “accessible” has also been applied to the need
for vehicles and facilities to be able to cater for physically challenged users).

However, the actual measurement of these concepts in an urban context is much

more difficult. Many key performance indicators and "benchmarks" exist. Some of
them include -

 km of public transport routes in relation to population or area.

 number of public transport vehicles in service per 100 000 population.
 km operated by public transport vehicles.
 average distance to the nearest stop.
 Passenger levels and passenger km.
  Journey times.

However, none of these benchmarks, specifically measure how public transport

compares with private transport in terms of accessibility or convenience. In order to
explain this topic, a distinction must be drawn between the levels of mobility and
accessibility enjoyed by those who have access to a car on the one hand and those
who are dependent on public transport on the other. These differences will now be
described:

6.1.1 Private car

In present circumstances, the car is the most comfortable and convenient method of
travel for nearly all journeys. It provides protection from unpleasant weather, well-
upholstered and assured seats, personal control of heating and ventilation and the
opportunity of travelling in privacy. For family outings, journeys can be made in a
more relaxed way than by public transport. Extra passengers do not have to pay an
extra fare.

The car possesses the characteristics of a mobile living room, with a choice between
comparative quiet and a radio programme. The car also fulfils a psychological
function as a status and prestige symbol. There is considerable satisfaction in
knowing that a trip can be made relatively effortlessly because it is "in attendance" in
the driveway or on the road, and that for instance a friend living 50 km away can be
reached in an hour. In addition, the range of opportunities for leisure or shopping is
substantially widened.

Any point on the road network can be considered as the destination for a particular
trip, provided there is room to park. As a particular result of this flexibility, there is a
wide choice of home and work locations. This gives car transport a "seamless"
quality, against which public transport will be compared.

6.1.2 Public transport

While a car is available on a 24 hour basis, public transport operates only during
certain hours or on certain days. Someone without a car has to judge whether a trip
can be made by public transport and must find out whether a service is available for
both outward and return journeys. Trips are restricted by the routes on which public
transport is available and by the time available for the trips. There is also less
flexibility as journey times have to be planned to meet bus or train schedules;
services outside rush hours are infrequent, all-night or late-night services absent in
most areas, and normal services reduced during holiday periods. Added to these
difficulties is the psychological deterrent of the unreliability of public transport
services and the inconvenience and potential frustrations when transfers are
necessary. Since individuals usually have to pay separate fares, family (or group)
travel is also discouraged.

Public transport lacks the exclusiveness of the car, mainly because it is less
independent and personalized. Public transport trips involve uncertain lengths of
time standing at stops. Once on the vehicle it may be crowded and stuffy, frequent
acceleration and deceleration can be uncomfortable or even dangerous, and there
may be no vacant seats. The risk of violence at stops and in vehicles is also a
factor. On the other hand, the public transport passenger has the advantage of not
being involved in the strain of driving, and does not have to find a parking space.
Journeys made by train are free from the frustration of congested roads affecting bus
and car alike, and except in rush hours, a train can be used in comparative comfort,
and with a fairly precise knowledge of the time it will take to reach the destination.

6.1.3 Guidelines for mobility

The vast difference between the levels of mobility provided by private cars and public
transport respectively has significant implications for urban transport policy, since
one of the objectives of the government's transport policy is to introduce a certain
degree of "equity" between all citizens. This means that the users of public transport
should not be unduly disadvantaged when compared with the users of private cars.

In view of the "seamless" conditions experienced by car users, a possible guideline

for mobility in an urban context is the time taken to travel a particular distance by car.
Once this has been determined, the time taken to cover the same distance by public
transport should be calculated and the relationship between the two times should be
established. As stated in previous sentence, it will usually (although not always) be
found that public transport takes considerably longer than private transport.

As suggested, a major criterion for mobility in most areas (including rural areas)
should be that most journeys by public transport should not take more than three
times longer than the same journey by private car. The authorities should,
nevertheless, be required to consider the need for minimum levels of public transport
in all parts of the urban area in order to achieve this objective.

6.1.4 Parameters for Mobility

Once a policy decision has been taken to provide minimum levels of mobility for the
population, a number of parameters must be adopted in order to achieve them.
Three basic parameters can be identified, under the following headings

 Proximity to a transport route

 Availability of service
 Area coverage

Before discussing each of these parameters it should be borne in mind that it will in
all likelihood be necessary to enter into a contractual relationship with providers of
public transport (by way of contracts and concessions) to ensure that they are
provided.

i. Proximity to a transport route

This measure of performance relates to how near the population lives to a public
transport route. Different transport studies have found that, in general, walking times
of more than 15 minutes (roughly equivalent to 1 000 meters) are regarded as
unacceptable. The community will tend not to use public transport under these
circumstances unless it has no choice. A possible measure for a transport network
could be that, say, 80% - 90% of the community should live within 15 minutes
(1 000 meters) of a public transport route. The use of an 80% - 90% measure allows
the use of a sparser route pattern in areas of low population density. In areas where
road surfaces are unsuitable the routes may also have to be spaced further apart.

ii. Availability of service

Availability consists of two elements - (a) frequency of service, and (b) spread of
service.

(a) Frequency

This measure of performance relates to the number of services provided on a route

within a given period. In general, waiting times should be as short as possible.

(b) Spread

This parameter relates to the number of hours over which the services operate.
Practically on routes this may mean a spread of services starting at 04:00 in the
morning and continuing until midnight. On other routes or over weekends the spread
may be narrower - say from 06:00 until 18:00 only.

iii. Area coverage

This term relates to the ability of the passenger to reach any destination served by
public transport in the area, within a certain period of time. Although proximity and
availability may be adequate, the routes may be such that users are forced to travel
in a roundabout way to reach their destinations. The effect of this can be seen in the
following diagrams which represent a route pattern in a city.

In figure 6.1 (a), for example, everyone may live within 1 000 meters of a route.
Frequencies and spread may also be good. However, anyone wishing to travel from
A to B must travel via the center of town, which could take as much as six times
longer than the direct route by car. It would probably be quicker to walk from A to B
than to go by public transport! In figure 5.1 (b), the introduction of a new route
(indicated by the dotted line) linking a number of suburban generators of traffic,
would substantially improve accessibility in the area. Few transport studies
specifically address this issue, but a general rule could be that passengers should
reach their destinations at an average speed of say 10 - 12 km per hour (measured
in a straight line) from the time they start their journeys on public transport. (This is
broadly similar to the rule that no journey on public transport should take more than
three times longer than a private car).

The effect of this requirement implies the introduction of more direct routes between
different parts of the city and region (particularly between major shopping centers,
office parks, etc.) and the operation of a minimum level of service on such routes at
all reasonable times.
Figure 6.1 Representation of a route pattern in a city

B
B

A A

(a) (b)

In virtually all South African cities there are examples of shopping centers and other
developments which are inadequately served by public transport. This contributes to
the lack of mobility experienced by a large percentage of the community.

6.1.5 Summary

In order to ensure that all residents of urban and rural areas enjoy adequate levels of
mobility and accessibility, it will be necessary to adopt parameters which will ensure
a minimum guaranteed level of public transport.

The adoption of the mentioned parameters will assist in achieving the requirement
that no journey on public transport should take more than, say, three times longer
than by private transport.

Requirements for transport in rural areas are no less pressing than in urban areas,
except that the extent of the problems vary from area to area. Obviously the
requirements for proximity, availability and coverage will be relaxed considerably. In
some cases routes may be as much as 15 to 20 km apart, while services may
consist of only one trip in the morning and another in the afternoon. In the section
that follows the concept of rural transport will be discussed.

Topic 6.2 Introduction to Rural Transport

Rural transport is aimed at serving communities outside of urban areas. The need for
rural transport has been associated with providing mobility and accessibility to
employment opportunities as well as goods and services. Rural transport also
increases the quality if living for residents as it provides access to employment,
schools, places of worship and social and recreational activities. In most cases,
access to public transport in rural areas are limited especially in terms of travel
times, distance covered and frequency of service offered (US Department of
Transport (2019).

According to Olayemi (2019) a rural area is a non-metropolitan areas outside the

boundaries of a city, a town, or a village. Three general forms of rural can be
identified:

 Basic Rural - dispersed areas with few or no major population centres of

5,000 or more. It is mostly characterized by agricultural and natural resource
based economies, constant or declining populations, and mostly "farm-to-
market" transportation arrangements.
 Developed Rural – is seen as fundamentally dispersed areas with one or
more population centre(s) of 5,000 or more. Economies in these areas are
likely to be mixed industrial and service based in the urban areas and
agricultural and natural resource based in the rural areas. The population tend
to be constant or growing, and transportation is more diverse and include
commuting between rural areas and urban areas and this can be for the
movement of freight and other purposes.
 Urban Boundary Rural - areas that border metropolitan areas and are highly
developed. Economic growth, population growth, and transportation in these
areas are tied to the urban centre and these areas have had significant levels
of growth in recent years.
In order to understand rural transport better, the dimensions of rural access need to
be understood. Access incorporates the “movement of rural people and their goods
to meet their domestic, economic and social needs by any means, along paths,
tracks and roads” (Barwell, et al., as cited by Connerley & Schroeder, 1996). This
implies that accessibility is a multidimensional concept that strive to consider the
level of mobility of individuals together with the quality of service providing facilities
available to those individuals.

Mobility articulates the ease or difficulty with which the rural population move around
and move their goods. The ease of mobility is affected firstly by the available
transport infrastructure and secondly by the means of transport.

Modes of rural transport most commonly used in Africa include walking, motorised
vehicles, however, walking is by far the prevalent mode of transport.

Table 6.1 (Connerley & Schroeder, 1996) represents rural access. In this table it is
evident accessibility depend on mobility as well as the quality of the available
transport facilities. Mobility is achieved by using the available means of transport
(e.g. walking, intermediate transport and motorised transport) on the available rural
transport infrastructure (e.g. community roads, paths, tracks, trails and tertiary
roads).
Water and fuel (e.g. wood) are the most basic items that the population in Sub-
Saharan Africa consume daily. Transporting these items can be costly. At the same
time the cost involved with consuming social services such as health care and
education is influenced by the transportation cost of moving between the residence
and the site where the service is offered.

Table 6.1 Representation of Rural Access

ACCESSIBILITY

MOBILITY
Quality of
Facilities
Rural Transport Infrastructure Means of Transport

Community Walking
Intermediate Motorized
Roads, Paths, Tertiary (with and
Means of Transport
Tracks and Roads without
Transport Services
Trails loads)

(Connerley & Schroeder, 1996)

Topic 6.3 Basic rural transport problems

Not a lot of research has been done on the everyday lives and transport challenges
faced by the rural population. According to Connerley & Schroeder (1996) the
average adult residing in a rural area in Africa spends at least one and a quarter
hours per day on travel. Travel is mostly done for the following reasons:

a) to conduct domestic tasks such as:

 collecting water and firewood

 transporting small amounts of grain to and from a mill
 social
 leisure
 children’s’ school travel

These trips take place a few times a day (e.g. frequent trips), follow a regular pattern
and are always close to the destination. Most of the time spent on travel is actually
spent on domestic task as previously described

b) Agricultural production and marketing

People in rural areas make trips to buy agricultural inputs and after crops have been
harvested they travel to markets to sell it. These trips are made frequently and it is
mostly to nearby destinations.

c) Travel to local markets and paid employment

In rural areas people travel to local markets to purchase needed household supplies.
People also travel to work and back on a daily basis. This is mostly a round trip
competed within a day.

d) Travel to health facilities

Less than one percent of travel by the rural population is undertaken to visit health
facilities.

e) Long distance travel

For social reasons people living in rural areas will travel making use of motorised
commercial transport. It is not essential travel but does contribute to the total number
of hours spent on travel.

Olayemi (2019) identified various types of rural transport problems or challenges and
these include:

 The significant amount of human effort devoted to the daily activity of

collecting water and firewood
 Women in rural areas seem to carry the major burden in terms of the transport
needs of the household because they are the ones that do most of the daily
travel
 There is insufficient access to different means of transport such as bicycles,
animal transport and basic motorised methods
 Rural communities are isolated from the main road network and are required
to walk long distances carrying heavy loads of agricultural produce, water or
even taking a sick person to health care facilities
 Access to economic facilities such as markets, grinding mills, health clinics,
hospitals, schools and government offices are limited.
 The roads in rural areas do not allow for vehicle movement due to deep
rutting, soft soil, slippery surfaces and improper water crossings
 The basic roads infrastructure is poor with no culverts or bridges
 Roads in rural areas are poorly maintained
 Planning and provision of road infrastructure remain poor or non-existent
 If local transportation is provided it tends to be unsafe and expensive

Before moving on to the next section it is evident that the lack of effective transport
services in rural areas remains a challenge in many countries. All over the world and
especially in Africa, many poor live in rural areas and there is a need for basic
infrastructure, like roads, access to basic health care and education as well as
proper motorised transport services.

Topic 6.4 Initiatives to address the problems (Rural Transport Strategy SA)

The predicament of rural people has been highlighted by numerous policy studies
and considerable public awareness has been created via the media. In South Africa
50% of the population is rural. Rural areas contain 72% of those members of the
total population who are poor.
Compared to their urban counterparts, rural people also have vastly inferior access
to basic social services and the economic mainstream. Given this context, the
delivery of rural transport infrastructure and services can be a significant catalyst for
sustainable economic development, improved social access and poverty alleviation
in South Africa’s rural areas. For this reason a Rural Transport Strategy was
developed.

In this section the Rural Transport Strategy for South Africa (2007) will be looked at
as it proposes strategies to address the problems related to rural transport. This
document was initially compiled in 2007 and is currently in the process of being
reviewed.

The main aim of the strategy is to contribute to the growth of local and provincial
economies by improving people’s access to public transport. In doing this the
connectivity between urban and rural areas will be improved.

The full strategy document can be accessed on the internet, but for the purpose of
this unit only a few aspects of the document will be highlighted.

6.4.1 Scope of the rural transport sector

Rural transport infrastructure and services in South Africa include the following
categories and role players (Rural Transport Strategy, 2007):

 Rural transport infrastructure: This refers to access roads, district roads,

public transport interchanges, non-motorised transport infrastructure
 Village-level or intra-farm transportation: The communities (especially women)
and farmers provide the transport services themselves by means of head
loading, non-motorised and intermediate means of transport.
 Rural passenger and (small-volume) freight transport services to and from
“deep” rural areas: The main service providers here are operators of LDVs
(or “bakkies”) as well as animal-drawn carts
 Passenger transport along main connector routes: These are the routes that
go to towns, clinics, schools and other amenities. This is mainly serviced by
combi-taxis or subsidised bus services
 Special needs transport services: This is transport services that are there to
address the needs of the population with disabilities, the elderly, learners and
tourists. The service providers are mostly outsourced or provided by the
relevant sector
 Bulk freight transport: Freight is transported to and from processing plants,
distribution centers, markets and suppliers. These services are provided by
transport operators

Now that the most important actors in the rural transport environment have been
identified, it is necessary to analyse the key challenges that limit service delivery and
sustainable development in the rural areas of South Africa.

6.4.2 Key challenges

In the Rural Transport Strategy of South Africa (2007) a number of challenges were
highlighted. It is important to identify these challenges as they pose a threat to
service delivery and development in rural areas. The challenges identified include
the following:

 Wide diversity of rural areas: Rural areas vary widely in terms of climatic
conditions and population densities
 Historical backlog: Under-investment in certain areas and types of
infrastructure continues whilst other areas have more infrastructure that
cannot be maintained
 Reactive response to historical backlog: Provision of infrastructure such as
streets, water, sanitation and electricity have a tendency to to reinforce rural
settlement patterns and are not sustainable
 High incidence of rural poverty: Rural areas tend to be very poor and there
are various barriers related to this, e.g. digital divide, where people do not
even have access to basic digital devices such as telephones
 Physical remoteness and low population densities: Some rural areas are very
remote and accessibility and transport provision is problematic
 Spatial dispersal of investment: Investments are mostly for central place
facilities or nodal facilities, e.g. schools and clinics, and this can increase the
logistical problems related to service delivery
 Low economies of scale and high operating overheads: A good example of
this is when a clinic is built in an area but there is not sufficient staff to operate
and it has to be closed down after a while
 Increasing need for resources: There is an increased need for resources to
deal with the effects of HIV-AIDS. This can place increased burden om
already unsustainable demands from local resources
 Bottom-up participation and information empowerment: There is a big need to
have a process of bottom-up participation and information sharing in place. It
is important to attend to all the crosscutting issues as well
 Technical and managerial weaknesses: Many rural and district councils and
municipalities are in need of capacity building to better technical and
managerial know how.

Flowing from the discussion on the challenges or rural transport, the Rural Transport
Strategy (2007) identified two strategic thrusts. These are:

i. The promotion of coordinated rural nodal and linkage development

ii. The development of a demand-responsive, balanced and sustainable rural
transport system

The main aim should be to develop an effectively interlinked network of nodes and
linkages. To develop a balanced rural transport system, the following is required
(Rural Transport Strategy, 2007):

 Investment in access roads

 Improvement of other forms of rural transport infrastructure
 Determined actions to redress the neglect of non-motorised and intermediate
transport
  Strengthen and regulate the role of the “bakkie” sector as a viable means of
freight and passenger transport

“The need for a sustainable rural transport system relates to the need to create
sustainable funding channels and procurement systems, address neglected road
maintenance requirements, and develop improved structures for the management of
storm water (which is the major cause of deteriorating road conditions in most “deep”
rural areas). The need for sustainability also requires that attention be given to the
impacts of the rural transport system on the wider social, economic and biophysical
environment” (Rural Transport Strategy, 2007:38).

6.4.3 Rural transport development programme and actions

The delivery of most rural transport infrastructure will be the responsibility of local
governments. The long term focus of strategy is on facilitation, coordination and
strengthening of service delivery in rural areas. In order to guide and support this
and act as mechanism for implementation of the strategy, a Rural Transport
Development Programme (RTD programme) will be created (Rural Transport
Strategy, 2007). This programme consist of 21 strategic actions and in order to
guarantee coherence, these actions have been grouped in terms of the following
“action areas”:

A. Alignment with ISRDP and related initiatives

B. High-leverage focus projects and programmes
 High-leverage RTI projects and programmes (provision of rural transport
infrastructure)
 High-leverage RTS project and programmes (provision of rural transport
services)
 Promotion of non-motorised and intermediate transport
C. Regulation and safety
D. Capacity building and monitoring

For the purpose of this unit only action area B, the High-leverage focus projects and
programmes, will be addressed. In this action area, the essential actions intended at
leveraging and enhancing the delivery of rural transport infrastructure and services
will be highlighted. The principal objective is to redress the imbalances in the
provision of rural transport services and provide an example of how a more balanced
rural transport system can be established.

The core set of strategic actions aimed at leveraging and enhancing the delivery of
rural transport infrastructure and services is depicted in table 6.2.

Table 6.2 Strategic actions aimed at leveraging and enhancing the delivery
of rural transport infrastructure and services

B - High-leverage focus projects and delivery programmes

Strategic Action Supporting and/or qualifying actions
B1 Joint interventions to develop  Promote the coordinated development of Thusong
multi-purpose nodes and Service Centres, other nodal facilities, transport,
linkages telecommunications and logistical services as part of an

B2 Development of feeder and
access roads associated with
key nodes and linkages
B3 Development of road
maintenance [including spot
improvements] programmes
B4 Facilitation of transport
brokering and special needs
transport services
B5 Promotion of combined
passenger and freight services
integrated rural service network
 Strengthen rural IDP, and harmonising the NSDP
principles with spatial and transport planning processes
through the dissemination of integrated rural access
planning guidelines
 These guidelines should indicate practical ways of
coordinating initiatives such as locating new public
facilities in poorly served areas, developing decentralised
market facilities, constructing access roads, and
investing in rural information and telecommunication
networks.
 Harness information and communication technologies as
well as special needs transport services to provide
improved linkages between hub and satellite facilities
(e.g. hospitals and clinics)
The development of rural access roads, associated with key
nodes and linkages, will be improved.
 Facilitate key access and district road projects identified
through IDP and ISRDP processes, with an initial focus
on the ISRDP nodes
 Develop and disseminate a strategic planning support
system for the assessment and prioritisation of access
roads
 Develop and disseminate appropriate road design
standards, giving particular attention to improved
structures for the management of storm water
 Document and disseminate guidelines on local and
international good practices
 Provide start-up or matching funds for the development
of provincial and or district-level road maintenance and
spot improvement programmes
 Ensure effective involvement of youth, women and
women-headed households in both the planning and
provision of rural road infrastructure
 In partnership with other role players, pilot a number of
rural transport brokering services aimed, inter alia, at
providing an inter-linked set of demand-responsive
transport services for addressing the full range of rural
passenger and freight transport needs, including
selected special needs categories
 Facilitate the development of a single provincial or
district “hub” for transport brokering services – possibly
in the form of a toll-free Public Transport Call Centre
 Establish an inter-governmental forum for special needs
rural transport services
 Work with key sectors such as education, health6 and
social welfare to explore, for example, the development
of a voucher-based or user-side subsidy system for the
procurement of special needs transport services
 Develop relevant vehicle specifications and accreditation
criteria (e.g. for adapted LDV, or truck-chassis vehicles
that can transport sick people in a semi-reclining
position)
Special rural transport initiatives focusing on intermediate
means of transport using appropriate technology for both
passenger and freight services (involving pick-ups, buses,
light delivery vehicles, etc.) will be piloted.
 Investigate and address relevant safety and regulation
issues

B6 Containerisation and logistics
support for rural freight
operations
B7 Development of appropriate
rural public transport and
subsidisation options
B8 Alignment and linkage with
existing non-motorised transport
programmes
B9 Provision of infrastructure for
non-motorised transport
 Explore the possibility of introducing adapted rural/ multi-
purpose vehicles
 Establish an acceptable term for these services (e.g.
“omnibus” services), and prepare relevant contract
specifications
 Pilot projects on multi-purpose vehicles in partnership
with relevant sectors.
 Develop guidelines for establishing integrated rural
logistical services, giving particular attention to
complementary actions
 Consider the development of mini-containers (possibly a
wire-mesh construction) and facilitate an SMME-
focussed production, marketing and distribution strategy
together with the Department of Trade and Industry
 Develop storage and communications facilities at micro-
nodes as well as multi-purpose centres
 Facilitate enterprise development support
 Involve organised agriculture in the establishment of
logistics support services for small farmers
 Assess the grants and loans that are likely to be
provided to rural transport operators
 Explore the possibility of introducing appropriate
technologies such as adapted rural/ multi-purpose
vehicles
 Assess the current pattern, level and beneficiaries of
those subsided public transport operations that originate
from within deep rural areas
 Investigate a supplementary or new form of subsidy
system that is aimed at providing set-up funds or
subsidised credit for i) developing appropriate means or
transport (e.g. NMT – see Action B10), and/or ii) various
types of support services (transport brokering, storage
and logistical support, repair services, etc.)
 Link with, and extend current projects and other
initiatives that the NDOT has been undertaking to
promote the use of non-motorised modes of transport
and other intermediate means of transport
 Document lessons learned from the Shova Kalula
National Bicycle Partnership Programme, the animal-
drawn NMT pilot project and similar initiatives on bicycles
projects with a view to informing rollout to other areas
 Support provincial and local authority initiatives and
embark on a road show in these jurisdictions to promote
appropriate IMT modes
 Develop norms and standards for NMT/IMT vehicles
 Facilitate the rollout of successful demonstration projects
Initiation of projects to provide Infrastructure for non-
motorised transport, including improved paths and tracks, as
well as bicycle supply depots, suspension bridges will
be actively considered
 Assess and adjust current funding for NMT infrastructure
 Build the capacity of local authorities to plan, construct
and maintain IMT infrastructure, using labour-based
methods focused on the employment of youth, persons
with disabilities and women
 Develop planning guidelines for safe non-motorised
infrastructure
 Support the development of community-based
construction entrepreneurs, and build the capacity of

B10 Promotion of animal-drawn
carts and other intermediate
means of transport
Source: Summarised from Rural Transport Strategy 2007
communities to plan, construct and maintain NMT
Animal-drawn carts and other low-technology transport
solutions will be promoted, with the aim of improving the
mobility of vulnerable groups
 Promote international findings and examples, linking
especially with the Sub–Saharan Africa Transport Policy
Program (SSATP), and the International
Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD).
 Undertake pre-feasibility studies, and then select and
actively promote a small, coherent set of modes in a few
selected localities, with a view to building the critical
mass of users that is usually necessary to overcome
socio-cultural inhibitions, and make it viable to establish
supporting repair and other services

It would be unrealistic to expect rapid progress in a short period of time due to the
difficult operational environment of rural areas as well as the huge range of
imbalances that need to be corrected. However, the Rural Transport Strategy (2007)
aims leveraging existing public, private and community based activities to
accomplish noteworthy results in the foreseeable future.

Topic 6.5 Summary

In this unit the concepts of mobility and accessibility were defined. These are two
concepts that are significant when talking about rural transport. Furthermore this unit
explored rural transport. It looked at what rural transport encompass as well as the
transport challenges faced by rural communities on a daily basis. Lastly the Rural
Transport Strategy of South Africa was looked at to see what possible solutions
there are for the rural transport problems in South Africa. The unit that follows, and
the last unit for this module will deals with the topic of road safety and management.
REFERENCES:

 The difference between mobility and accessibility by Daniel Herriges (2018)

Available from https://articles.extensions.org/ [Accessed 20 September 2019]

 Rural public transportation systems. US Department of Transport. Available from

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