Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 6(5), pp. 257 - 267
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2018.060505
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Transport and Accessibility Challenges Facing the Rural People Living Along Feeder Roads in Ghana

Asafo-Adjei Charles Kwarteng ^*, Usha Iyer-Raniga , Aranda-Mena Guillermo
School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Australia

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the accessibility and mobility needs of communities living along feeder roads in Ghana. It adopts a qualitative research approach where a total of eighteen (18) expert interviews were undertaken across Ghana from 2015 to 2017. In addition, primary data was collected by conducting five focus group discussions in five rural communities in two regions in Ghana. In all, a total of seventy-two (72) participants were involved during the focus group discussions. The study first found that Ghana has enough feeder roads as compared to other countries in the sub-region. From the responses, what needs to be done is to improve the level of services. This means that there is the need to improve the surface conditions and make sure that a lot of them are in good shape all year round. The responses gathered point to the fact that most rural or feeder roads are not appraised before their construction, and that may account for the reason why transport investments are not factored into the plan of most feeder roads. It is interesting to note that most of the roads that were appraised were either funded by donor partners or development partners other than government institutions and the models used do not place much premium on transport vehicles. It was again found that adoption of Intermediate Means of Transport (IMT) on a rural road is a good policy provided it is very cheap, economical, affordable and user- friendly. The challenges revealed by the respondents regarding the accessibility and mobility were not quite different from past studies. Challenges revealed include poor or low-quality equipment, poor paths or roads, lack of consumer appeal, the high cost of acquisition, and access to finance. It is recommended that the only way transport services can be considered in the development of rural road infrastructure is when the Ministries for Roads and Transport collaborate effectively.

KEYWORDS
Accessibility, Ghana, Mobility, Transport, and Rural

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Asafo-Adjei Charles Kwarteng , Usha Iyer-Raniga , Aranda-Mena Guillermo , "Transport and Accessibility Challenges Facing the Rural People Living Along Feeder Roads in Ghana," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 6, No. 5, pp. 257 - 267, 2018. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2018.060505.

(b). APA Format:
Asafo-Adjei Charles Kwarteng , Usha Iyer-Raniga , Aranda-Mena Guillermo (2018). Transport and Accessibility Challenges Facing the Rural People Living Along Feeder Roads in Ghana. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 6(5), 257 - 267. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2018.060505.