[rts] Week 2 - some comments to Week 1 conclusions

[Joaquín Caraballo]

Hi,

>From Joaquín Caraballo


I have found that ethnics or sociological conditions are a key issue to implement RTS and IMTs. 

For instance, in Cuba (under serious financial constraints) there is a great number and types of IMTs and RTS, both motorized and non-motorized. Gvt support started with the oil crisis, where some 600,000 bicycles were imported and sold to the public. After that, people started "inventing" IMTs, on their own and with spare parts from any machine, with much success. 

in Guatemala (basically a country with a great majority of indigenous population) there is basically only headloading and trucking. Even more, headloading is promoted among indigenous people.

Also in Guatemala there is a Rural Road Investment Project (San Marcos), sponsored by the World Bank. While I tried to help set up the project, I realized that the various diffrent approaches among the people involved (WB, Majors, local central gvt officials, others) really affect the outcome of the project. Maybe people from the WB in the discussion can add something about this.

in Nicaragua, where we are working on a road (secondary, tertiary) stabilization project in Nicaragua, using concrete blocks (adoquines), I´ve personally tried "jumpstarting" TRS by private enterprises, by constructing IMTs wholesale and selling them at the same price to Microenterprises (coops working on rural road mtce and stabilization) to provide RTS, without any luck. While in some towns these vehicles are widely used for taxis and personal and family travel.

By the way, the concrete block program strategy provides local labor, uses local materials, has low maintenance needs and promotes local participation. The project is financed by the World Bank (US$25 million in next two years). There are some 1000 kms of concrete block roads in NIcaragua, some 40 years old, and some with up to 40,000 vpd. We have developed economic analysis procedures and so forth.

In summary, ethnics and cultural background is important. Of course, govt support should be there, and it should come from International sources or from a gvt agency specialized in rural development, rather than the Ministry of Works or Transport, that is mainly concerned with big figures, investments, large projects, and so forth

I hope these comments help.

Joaquín





============================================================
From: priyanthi.fernando at mcmail.com
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 13:54:20 +0100
To: rtslist at news.gn.apc.org
Subject: [rts] Week 2 - some questions

Priyanthi Fernando from the IFRTD Secretariat, making a posting 
as a participant in the list.

Peter Njenga concluded the Week 1 summary with the 
unanswered question "should we be asking what conditions 
influence and favour the more equitable development of rural 
transport solutions?"

Rajendra Aryal's posting this week suggests that mechanisms 
need to be designed so that the disadvantaged and the poorest of 
the poor have a strong presence during the planning process as 
well as implementation, and operation and management. 

The World Bank's perspective is that rural transport services should 
be left to the private sector and that government should create an 
enabling environment for the development of these services.  

I think we can all agree in principle to the above.  What we, or at 
any rate I, don't know is exactly HOW this can be done.  What are 
our examples of good practice?  Where have the poor had a strong 
presence in planning, implementation, operation and management  
and use of transport services and what have been the elements of 
government policy and action that have made this happen?

In Nepal, much of the community participatory activities have taken 
place in the context of rural transport infrastructure development.  
Do we have similar examples in developing rural transport 
SERVICES?

This list has a number of participants from a wide range of 
countries and institutions working on rural transport issues. I am 
sure some one will be able to respond to my questions.

Thank you.


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