ABSTRACT
Personal mobility and the transport of goods are part and parcel of everyday life. Economic development both demands and permits more of such movement particularly as specialised production methods are increasingly adopted and personal incomes rise. The utility of road programmes lies in their contribution to the reduction of both mobility and transport costs. Improved mobility, however, encouraged temporary movement and continued contact with home settlements. The chapter looks at two major developing regions, Africa and Asia — particularly South Asia — and ask how rural road provision appears to have affected the process of modernization; and, furthermore, how roads and modernization may have affected poverty. Some interesting literature has been produced on the effects of the construction of major highways in Nepal. Personal mobility has been considerably stimulated by the availability of bus travel, particularly as an alternative to the porterage of small head loads.
