Rural Transport Plan of ‘Practical Action’

For more than 40 years, Practical Action has worked with poor communities to identify the types of transport that work best, taking into consideration culture, needs and skills. With our technical and practical support, isolated rural communities can design, build and maintain their own solutions.

Although the National Development Plan in the transport sector has focused mainly on expanding road networks and bridges, there are still significant constraints in satisfying the needs of poorer com-munities. Practical Action aims to radically accelerate the improvement in suburban public transport by focusing on the establishment of rural public transport systems, which will introduce alterna-tive transport patterns and Intermediate Means of Transport (IMTs) that complement the connec-tions between impoverished people with road networks and other socio-economic infrastructures to improve their livelihoods.

On the other hand, the improvement of all weathered roads in rural areas (only 30 percent of the rural population have access to this now) and bridges is prohibitive for a country with a small and stagnant economy. In addition, whether or not these interventions are favourable in different geo-graphical contexts relies heavily on environmental, social and economic conditions. The majority of the network is found in the lowland areas of the country. Although a lot of alternative ways fit into addressing transport development of rural communities in the hills, lack of clear government focus and policies, lack of fiscal and economic incentives, lack of adequate technical knowledge and manu-facturing capacities have resulted in the under-development of this alternative transport sub-sector including the provision of IMTs.

There is a strong link between isolation and poverty. The increasing mobility of low-income people in search of employment requires improved rural public transport. Improved transport system enables poorer people to access markets where they can buy or sell goods for income and make better use of essential services such as health and education. No proper roads or vehicles mean women and children are forced to spend many hours each day attending to their most basic needs, such as collect-ing water and firewood. This is precious time that could be used to grow crops, care for the family, study, or develop small business ventures to earn more income.

Road building

It isn’t easy to conceive of the vigorous development of rural communities without an efficient road network. Therefore, the construction of roads is a major priority for many rural communities where daily activities are regarded as huge tasks such as collecting water and going to local markets. Practical Action is aiming at improving rural transport infrastructures through the construction and rehabilitation of short rural roads, small bridges, culverts and other transport-related functions, which is to encourage community-driven development. This means villagers can improve their own lives through better access to markets, health care, education and other economic and social opportunities.

Driving forward new ideas

Practical Action and the communities we work with are constantly working out new ideas to help poor people. Cycle trailers, for example, have practical commercial uses, helping people carry their goods such as vegetables and charcoal to market for sale. Besides, those on the poverty line can earn a decent income by making, maintaining and operating bicycle taxis. Practical Action’s know-how has enabled Sri Lankan communities to start a bus service and maintain the roads along which it travels. The impact has been remarkable. This quick and affordable service not only puts an end to rural people’s social isolation, but also gives them a reliable way to travel to the nearest town. Practical Action is also an active member of many national and regional networks through which knowledge based on the initiative’s research can also be exchanged and disseminated, and one conspicuous example is the Lanka Organic Agriculture Movement Council (LOAM), a professional organisation that promotes organic agriculture by developing local organic markets in different regions.

Sky-scraping transport system

For people living in remote mountainous areas, how to get food to market is a major problem. The hills are so steep that it is dangerous to walk down them. Movers can help, but the service is expensive and time-consuming. As a result of such a long journey, the food starts to spoil and becomes worthless. Practical Action has come up with an ingenious solution – an aerial ropeway, used as a safe and efficient way for material, even people. It can be fully or partly powered by either gravitation force or external power. The ropeway consists of two trolleys rolling over support tracks connected to a control cable in the middle, which moves in a traditional flywheel system. The trolley at the top is loaded with goods and can take up to 120 kg. This is pulled down to the station at the bottom, either by the force of gravity or by an external power. The other trolley at the bottom is, therefore, pulled upwards automatically. The external power can be produced by a micro-hydro system if access to an electricity grid is not an option.

Bringing people on board

Practical Action has developed a two-wheeled iron trailer that can be attached (via a hitch behind the seat) to a bicycle and be used to carry heavy cargo (up to around 200 kg) or even passengers. People can now carry three times as much as before and still pedal the bicycle. The trailers are used for transport-ing goods by local producers, as ambulances, as shops, and even as mobile libraries. They are made in small village workshops from iron tubing, which is cut, bent, welded and drilled to make the frame and wheels. Sometimes, modifications are also carried out to the trailers at the request of buyers. The two-wheeled ‘ambulance’ is made from moulded metal, with standard rubber-tyred wheels. The ‘bed’ section can be padded with cushions to make the patient comfortable, while the ‘seat’ section allows a family member to attend to the patient during transit. A dedicated bicycle is also needed to pull the ambulance trailer, so that other community members do not need to go without the bicycles they depend on in their daily lives. A joining mechanism allows for easy removal and attachment. In response to user comments, a cover has been designed that can be added to give protection to the patient and attendant in poor weather. Made of treated cotton cloth, the cover is durable and waterproof.

Questions 1 – 4

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1–4 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer 

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

• 1.A slow-growing economy often cannot afford some road networks, especially those that have weathered away.

TRUEFALSENOT GIVEN

• 2.Officials in rural communities know how to improve alternative transport technically.
• 3.The primary goal of Practical Action to improve rural transport infrastructures is to increase trade between villages.
• 4.The Lanka Organic Agriculture Movement Council has advanced its projects with deep involvement in Practical Action.

Questions 5 – 8

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 5–8 on your answer sheet.

5 What is the first duty for the development of suburban communities?

6 What new method can be used to help the poor deliver their goods directly to market?

7 What service has ended the isolation of Sri Lanka’s rural population?

8 What solution has been adopted to solve the problem of people living in remote mountain areas getting food to market?Questions 9 – 13

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 9–13 on your answer sheet.

答案及解析请付费后查阅：