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Report 3 (of 6): Ease the
Jam
Introduction
The lack of effective modes of transport - the large
majority of travel is still by walking - means that
households in rural areas of developing countries
spend many hours each day in transport activities
related to their basic needs for water, fuel and
food. This restricts the time available for productive
activities and is a significant constraint on social
and economic development and hence on poverty alleviation.
Lack of transport also reduces peoples' opportunities
to earn a living from agriculture or other trades
and may limit access to health, education and other
essential services.
Intermediate Means of Transport (IMT)
The access of rural people to motorised transport
is very limited because of low-income levels and
poor road infrastructure. However, the introduction
of lower cost vehicles which are more affordable
can bring major benefits. For instance, a wheel barrow
can carry three times as much as a person and may
mean one trip for water per day instead of three;
a bicycle can travel at roughly three times the speed
of walking, providing much greater access to markets,
job opportunities and essential services; and animal
drawn carts can carry up to one tonne enabling produce
to be rapidly moved from the fields to reduce deterioration
and wastage and increase marketing opportunities.
These low cost means of transport are generally
known as Intermediate Means of Transport (IMT) -
i.e. intermediate between human carrying and motorised
transport - and are very appropriate to rural areas
in terms of meeting local transport needs, being
affordable and incorporating suitable levels of technology.
The introduction of IMT may be particularly beneficial
to women as they are usually the main load carriers
when other means of transport are not available.
Health and safety are improved, since in the absence
of a means of transport, people are often forced
to carry loads which are far too heavy and in ways
which may risk injury.
Production and Supply of IMT
Some IMT, such as wheel barrows and bicycles are
mass produced and imported into developing countries,
while others, such as hand carts, bicycle trailers
and animal drawn carts are made locally. However,
imported "garden type" wheel barrows are not suited
to general rural needs of transporting quite heavy
loads over long distances and more appropriate versions
may be made locally. Also, bicycles are widely used
for carrying loads and imported versions may be adapted
to improve the transporting of goods and passengers.
A significant proportion of the local manufacture
and adaptation of IMT is carried out in small and
medium sized enterprises (SMEs) located in the larger
rural centres. Through their direct links with customers,
SMEs play an important role in supplying IMT which
meet local demands and in providing repair services.
They are also important to the development of rural
economies.
Although SMEs are often quite innovative in adapting
IMTs to meet local needs, they generally need support
in the form of information on appropriate designs,
upgrading of manufacturing methods to produce good
quality IMT and in promotion and marketing. A particular
problem faced by most SMEs is access to good quality,
low cost wheel and axle assemblies. Scrap versions
obtained from other vehicles are generally unreliable
whilst locally devised versions are can be quite
crude and inefficient. Improving the maunfacture
of wheel-axle assemblies is therefore often the principal
need for increasing the supply of good quality IMT
in rural areas. For example, it may be appropriate
to promote the specialised manufacture of wheel-axle
assemblies in one or two SMEs for supply to other
SMEs producing IMTs.
Wheel Manufacturing Technology
Figure 1: The Assembly
Jig
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The capacity and performance of low-cost wheeled
vehicles is largely dependent on the quality of the
wheel-axle assembly and access to good quality assemblies
is usually the main problem for small to medium sized
workshops producing these vehicles.
Access to wheel manufacturing technology enables
workshops to set up their own facilities to produce
a range of good quality wheels from standard steel
sections. Wheels can be made to take bicycle, motorcycle,
car and solid rubber tyres and to suit a range of
low-speed vehicles such as handcarts, bicycle trailers,
wheelbarrows and animal-drawn carts.
The I.T.Transport system comprises a hand-operated
bending device capable of forming good quality wheel
rims from steel sections, and an assembly jig (figure
1) to ensure that wheels are made to a consistent
quality. The equipment can be made in a workshop
having competent metalworking skills and basic tools
for cutting, welding, drilling and grinding steel.
It can be readily adopted and used by other workshops
with basic metalworking facilities to produce good
quality wheels at low cost and on a small to medium-scale
of production.
Making a Wheel
The components of the rim are formed into rings
in the bender and the wheel is then assembled and
welded up in the jig. The steps are as follows:
- The screw stop is set for the required diameter
of the rim.
- The rim section is cut to length and marked out
in 2.5cm (1") steps.
- Bending the rim in small steps produces a smooth,
accurate circle.
- The formed rim is clamped in an assembly jig
to weld up the wheel.
- The ends of the rim are cut to leave a 1 or 2mm
gap and the joint welded up.
- The spokes are cut to size and welded into position.
Cost
The wheel manufacturing equipment can be bought
for about US$450 per set, plus freight charges.
It may be possible to find a donor to supply
the equipment to non-commercial workshops or
training organisations, particularly where
it is being introduced into a new area.
Jua Kali
Open air workshops producing stoves, cooking
pots, watering cans and all kinds of ironmongery
from scrap metal can be found all over Africa.
In Kisumu, the latest hardware is available
from the open air businesses - jua kali, which
means hot sun. The artisan business men of
the open air jua kalis have a thriving trade
in transport technology and are finding novel
solutions to the problem of getting people
from home to work on the increasingly congested
streets.
Kisumu is one of Kenya's fastest growing urban
centres. The current transport infrastructure
is inadequate for the task of getting people
from one place to the next and the roads are
full of potholes. The streets are congested,
with cars, buses and matatus (private minibuses)
blocking them. Most commuters have no alternative
other than to walk huge distances each day
because it is quicker than using the transport
systems available.
Bicycle Taxis
Standard bicycles are being modified and now
serve as taxis (figure 2). The drivers of the
bicycle taxis are able to avoid the potholes
and can weave through the traffic and the crowded
streets. It is by far the quickest and most
efficient form of transport. Bicycles can be
ridden on a variety of terrain and their configuration
makes them well suited for use on busy roads
and narrow paths.
The bicycle provides the potential to increase
the speed and range of travel considerably
and the addition of simple low cost carrying
devices gives an efficient means of transporting
passengers and other goods.
There are now 500 bicycle taxi drivers in
Kisumu and providing that they receive support
from the town authorities, they could become
real competition to the matatus and other motorised
transport.
For further information, please contact:
Ron Dennis IT Transport Limited The Old Power
Station Ardington Near Wantage OXON. OX12 8QJ.
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0) 1235 833753 / 821366 Fax: +44
(0) 1235 832186 E-mail: ittran@rmplc.co.uk
Further reading on Rural Transport from ITDG
Development Bookshop
Low-cost Vehicles: Options for moving people
and goods Gordon Hathway
A pictorial survey of a wide range of low-cost
vehicles in developing countries. It lists,
for the planner and those influencing choice,
the range of low-cost options available
with their advantages, disadvantages and uses. ITP
ISBN 0 946688 02 8 112pp 1985 paperback œ9.95
Low-cost Load-carrying Devices: The design
and manufacture of some basic means of
transport R.A.Dennis The major transport task facing
most poor people is to move relatively
small loads over short distances, usually off-road.
This book describes basic transport technologies
such as shoulder poles and back-frames,
wheelbarrows and handcarts, carriers and panniers
for bicycles, and load-carrying pannier for animals
and animal-drawn sledges. ITP ISBN 1 85339 265 0
192pp 1995 paperback œ14.95
Making Wheels: A technical manual on wheel
manufacture R.A.Dennis A low-cost technology
which will enable workshops to set up their
own facilities and manufacture a range
of wheels from standard steel sections. For those
familiar with metalworking techniques. Presented
with technical drawings and sketches. ITP ISBN 1
85339 141 7 160pp 1992 paperback œ14.95
Roads are Not Enough: New perspectives on
rural transport planning in developing countries
Jonathon Dawson and Ian Barwell Traces the
evolution of transport theory and policy
and the new needs-led' approach; with examples
from recent studies. The authors suggest
areas of intervention to reduce the transport burden
on the rural poor. ITP ISBN 1 85339 191
3 80pp 1993 paperback œ10.95
Rural Transport in Developing Countries Ian
Barwell with G.A.Edmonds and others An
important and wide-ranging survey of transport policies
in developing countries, illustrated by
nine case-studies. ITP ISBN 0 946688 96 6 208pp
1985 paperback œ11.95
Rural Transport: Energy and Environment technology
source book Jo Doran This source book seeks
to raise awareness and to provide information
on how rural transport problems might be
identified and addressed, focusing on women, since
they carry the main burden. The book highlights
rural transport activities and needs, considers
household and other agricultural transport
needs. It also looks at improving local
transport infrastructure and establishing transport
services. It uses case study material to illustrate
approaches and technologies. ITP ISBN 1 85339 345
2 80pp 1996 paperback œ7.95
To order any of these books from ITDG Development
Bookshop, send a Sterling Cheque (adding 15%
for postage and packing to European addresses,
25% elsewhere), or credit card details (American
Express, Visa or MasterCard) to:
ITDG Development Bookshop 103-105 Southampton
Row, London WC1B 4HH,United Kingdom. Tel +
44 171 436 9761 Fax + 44 171 436 2013 Email
orders@itpubs.org.uk or visit our website at
www.developmentbookshop.com.
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