PLANNING AND RESEARCH FOR ROAD TRANSPORT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

SINCE TRANSPORT IS ONE OF THE MAJOR FIELDS OF INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DECISIONS IN THIS FIELD AFFECT BOTH THE PACE AND THE DIRECTION OF DEVELOPMENT. THE METHODS AND CRITERIA AVAILABLE FOR MAKING DECISIONS ARE DISCUSSED AT THREE DIFFERENT LEVELS: (1) DETERMINING THE STANDARD TO WHICH EXISTING ROADS SHOULD BE BUILT AND MAINTAINED, (2) SELECTING THE MOST SUITABLE FORM OF TRANSPORT AND, WHERE THIS IS BY ROAD, DETERMINING PRIORITIES IN THE ROAD-BUILDING PROGRAMME AND, (3) KEEPING THE LEVEL OF INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORT IN STEP WITH GENERAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. A KNOWLEDGE OF THE INTERACTION OF THE COSTS OF PROVIDING THE ROAD AND OPERATING THE TRAFFIC OVER IT IS REQUIRED. ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL MUCH TO LEARN, METHODS AND DATA ARE AVAILABLE TO MAKE RATIONAL DECISION ON THE TRAFFIC INTENSITIES AT WHICH IT IS WORTH WHILE IMPROVING EXISTING ROADS. IN THE BROADER ISSUES OF DETERMINING PRIORITIES, CHOOSING MODES OF TRANSPORT, AND INDICATING THE OPTIMUM LEVEL OF INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORT, THERE ARE AS YET NO GENERALLY ACCEPTED RATIONALES. THE VARIOUS FORMS OF COST/ BENEFIT STUDY USED FOR DETERMINING THE VIABILITY OF PARTICULAR SCHEMES AND FOR INDICATING PRIORITIES IN A ROAD- IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME ARE CONSIDERED TO BE LIMITED BY IMPERFECT UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFECTS OF TRANSPORT ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, SOME RESULTS FROM AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS THEME IN SABAH ARE REPORTED. FROM THIS AND SIMILAR STUDIES, METHODS OF DETERMINING TRANSPORT NEEDS IN RURAL AREAS ARE PROPOSED. THE PAPER CONCLUDES BY INDICATING THE RESEARCH NEEDED TO DEVELOP MORE RELIABLE METHODS OF DEFINING TRANSPORT NEEDS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. /RRL/A/