Quantifying freight transport volumes in developing regions : lessons learnt from South Africa's experience during the 20th century

Date
2012-12
Authors
Havenga, Jan H.
Pienaar, W. J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
A number of attempts were made during the 20th century to develop national freight flow information for South Africa. This paper discusses these contributions and attempts to identify the major reasons why the research did not give rise to long-term strategic infrastructure planning. It is important to learn these lessons to avoid making the same mistakes during the critical large-scale infrastructure investments that are unfolding in the first half of the 21st century. The paper starts with an overview of the development of South Africa’s surface freight transport infrastructure, and then provides a cross-country comparison of South Africa’s key freight indicators. This serves to underscore the importance of a long-term approach to such infrastructure investment.
Description
The original publication is available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20780389.2012.745666#.UrBE-bQgrZf
Keywords
Transportation -- South Africa, Freight and freightage -- South Africa
Citation
Havenga, J.H. & Pienaar, W.J. 2013. Quantifying freight transport volumes in developing regions: lessons learnt from South Africa's experience during the 20th century. Economic History of Developing Regions, 27(2):87-113, doi:10.1080/20780389.2012.745666.