Should wooden cartwheels be
banned in Madagascar?
In Madagascar, senior policy makers in the
transport sector attended a workshop on rural transport. During the first day, rural
road maintenance was discussed. The traditional wooden cartwheels with their
narrow metal-rims damage to rural roads. Several people thought traditional
carts should be banned to protect the roads. Only modern carts with pneumatic
tyres would be allowed. The workshop participants then visited villages and put
such ideas to local farmers, transporters and village authorities. The farmers
agreed that cartwheels made ruts in road, but pointed out that ox carts were
the main users of the rural roads. There was no point in protecting empty
roads. Farmers gave eight reasons why traditional cartwheels were better than
pneumatic tyres on rural tracks. The cartwheel issue was more complex than
people had imagined. It will not be easy to resolve but immediate prohibition
is not a realistic solution. The great importance of such 'networking' and
dialogue between planners and transport users was recognised by all concerned.
Photo: Ox cart on rutted village road in Madagascar
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