1. IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY: THE GOAL OF ROAD NETWORKS

2. Accessibility: overview
Rural roads are built to make places accessible
Thinking has evolved from building roads (’70’s-’80’s), to networks, to transport systems, to mobility and ultimately accessibility (’90’s onwards)
Accessibility to what and for whom?
More mobility or move destinations closer?
Is the problem poor roads or poor transport services?
The good-enough road: cost-effective?
Accessibility must be sustainable

3. Accessibility: basic principles
Building high quality roads for themselves was not sustainable: wasteful of capital and unmaintainable
Rural roads do not exist in isolation: roads must be seen as links in a network, in turn lleading to higher level networks
Road systems must be viewed from the point of view of accessibility of services: if not redundant and under-used roads
Mobility can be constrained by lack of transport: must take account of this: if not again underused and unsustainable roads
It can be cheaper to build extra clinics or schools then improve roads (but will road engineers agree?)
Institutionally it can be difficult to integrate accessibility needs and roadbuilding but it must be done
Will roads reduce poverty? Ça dépend

4. Accessibility must be sustainable
Accessibility is no use if it is not sustainable
People need time to adapt to new opportunities
Investment must not outrun resources for maintenance
There can be strong pressures to invest too quickly (poverty reduction, local politics)
Core network must be identified, improved monitored and maintained first

7. Accessibility

8. Accessibility: references
Accessibility planning.pdf