Rural transport and dreight governance crossroads in South Africa

Paper presented at the 31st Annual Southern African Transport Conference 9-12 July 2012 "Getting Southern Africa to Work", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The paper discusses rural transport and freight governance crossroad issues in South Africa’s district municipalities. Making use of case studies, focus groups and reflective learning techniques, critical gaps in the rural transport and freight set-up are discussed. The findings confirm the existence of rural transport and freight challenges in district municipalities. The findings suggest the need to align and coordinate more strongly freight transport and integrated transport plans (ITPs); spatial development frameworks (SDFs); integrated development plans (IDPs); provincial growth and development strategy (PGDS) and provincial land transport framework (PLTF). Recommendations revolve around developing and updating freight databanks, strengthening skills in this sector, building a portfolio of demonstration projects from which lessons can be drawn for up-scaling and ensuring sustainable funding streams.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by Document Transformation Technologies Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: nigel@doctech URL: http://www.doctech.co.zadm201

Supply and pricing strategies of informal rural transport providers

Informal paratransit operators using a range of vehicle types (including pickup trucks, small buses, and motorcycles) are a major provider of mobility in rural areas of the developing world. The paper describes a mixed method approach used to examine such operators’ decisions about vehicle deployment, route frequency, network organisation, and pricing in three rural districts in South Africa. New evidence is presented showing that the condition of rural roads (both paved and unpaved) affects the quantity and quality of public transport services provided, as well as the fares charged to passengers. This strengthens the case for judicious infrastructure investment as a way of improving rural access and livelihoods, and suggests how this might happen by way of leveraging better private sector responses. We also describe the emergence of a differentiated service hierarchy involving a variety of vehicle types suited to different operating conditions, and based on intentional coordination among operators of minibus and pickup truck (‘bakkie’) services. We argue that governments should promote such coordination and innovation in rural transport markets.The UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) under the African Community Access Programme (AFCAP).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jtrangeohj201

Road provision for poverty reduction and improved service delivery in rural South Africa

Paper presented at the 32nd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 8-11 July 2013 "Transport and Sustainable Infrastructure", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.Besides access to the national road network leading to major urban nodes in South Africa boasting higher order goods and opportunities, benefits of rural roads include better access to local markets, educational and health facilities, employment opportunities as well as local sources of food, energy and water. Given the national imperatives to provide basic services to all South Africans, rural roads certainly represent the fulcrum of government’s service delivery agenda, and for that reason, the effectiveness of service delivery (or the lack thereof) and returns on transport infrastructure investments have become the focus of national attention particularly where they grab the headlines by way of violent service delivery protests. Despite massive backlogs in terms of maintenance and provision of new infrastructure occasioned by a multiplicity of factors, least of which include narrow capacity and skills base, inadequate funding, weak integrative planning, and political will, this paper highlights the important role played by rural roads (and transport services) especially with regard to impacting the MDGs. The paper further asserts that the centrepiece of integrated planning – information – for example, about the network of rural roads, needs to be generated and fed into decision-support systems that allow transport authorities to make informed decisions about infrastructure investments given the severe constraints on funding sources. This stems from the realisation that framing rural roads as assets in their development and management as well as in terms of rural communities’ productive, social, and locational assets provides impetus for and commitment to protracted action. It then gives an overview of the efforts of the Department of Transport to assist selected district municipalities to develop such decision support systems in their jurisdictions – Rural Road Asset Management Systems – with a view to heightening service delivery.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by Document Transformation Technologies Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: nigel@doctech URL: http://www.doctech.co.zamv201

Vehicle differentiation in informal rural transport services: New evidence from South Africa

Paper presented at the 32nd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 8-11 July 2013 "Transport and Sustainable Infrastructure", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The paper examines the characteristics of supply and pricing strategies of informal rural public transport operators in South Africa. The research provides statistical and qualitative confirmation of previous findings around the factors driving transport supply in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, but adds significant new insights that can help shape more effective responses to the rural mobility challenge. A key determinant of the quantity and quality of service is the condition of roads (both paved and unpaved), suggesting that judicious infrastructure investment can be used to leverage better and more affordable private sector responses. We further describe the emergence of a differentiated service hierarchy involving a greater variety of vehicle types suited to different operating conditions, and based on intentional coordination among operators of minibus and pickup trucks ('bakkies') services. We discuss ways in which governments might promote such coordination and innovation in rural transport markets.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by Document Transformation Technologies Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: nigel@doctech URL: http://www.doctech.co.zamv201

Children as Research Collaborators: Issues and Reflections from a Mobility Study in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper reflects on issues raised by work with children in an ongoing child mobility study in three sub-Saharan African countries: Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. There are now 70 school pupils of varying ages involved in the project, but the paper is particularly concerned with the participation of those children 14 years and under. We examine the significant ethical issues associated with working with younger child researchers, and linked questions concerning the spaces open to them in African contexts where local cultural constructions of childhood and associated economic imperatives (which commonly drive family and household endeavour) help shape the attitudes of adults to children’s rights and responsibilities and inter-generational power relations

Youth, mobility and mobile phones in Africa: findings from a three-country study

he penetration of mobile phones into sub-Saharan Africa has occurred with amazing rapidity: for many young people, they now represent a very significant element of their daily life. This paper explores usage and perceived impacts among young people aged c. 9–18 years in three countries: Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. Our evidence comes from intensive qualitative research with young people, their parents, teachers and other key informants (in-depth interviews, focus groups and school essays) and a follow-up questionnaire survey administered to nearly 3000 young people in 24 study sites. The study was conducted in eight different sites in each country (i.e. urban, peri-urban, rural and remote rural sites in each of two agro-ecological zones), enabling comparison of experiences in diverse spatial contexts. The evidence, collected within a broader research study of child mobility, allows us to examine current patterns of usage among young people with particular attention to the way these are emerging in different locational contexts and to explore connections between young people's phone usage, virtual and physical mobilities and broader implications for social change. The issues of gender and inter-generational relations are important elements in this account

"Moving" Southern Africa development community: some transport insights

Paper presented at the 30th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 11-14 July 2011 "Africa on the Move", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The paper introduces the concept of "SADC on the move" as an alternative way to tackling transport growth and development deficits in the region. The paper further discusses transport challenges in the Southern African development community. Making use of combined experience and knowledge drawn from working in the reglon for over 50 years, the authors sketch the existing situation and highlight transport deficiencies slowing the transport sector growth and development sectors. Key intervention areas to facilitate "SADC on the move" as a concept are presented. At the same time potential obstacles and hurdles impeding and impacting on the failure by SADC to move towards greater regional competitiveness, integration and prosperity are discussed. Some options and alternatives regarding "moving SADC" towards better and more efficient transportation systems are presented. The growing challenge is to upgrade, construct and structure a transportation network that is amenable to anchoring seamless transportatlon in the region and by extension in Africa. The theme of an integrated SADC and by extension Africa is at the centre of this discussion.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by Document Transformation Technologies Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: nigel@doctech URL: http://www.doctech.co.zaCD sponsored by TRANSNE