EAP - The Pacific Infrastructure Challenge - World Bank (2006).pdf
EAP - The Pacific Infrastructure Challenge - World Bank (2006).pdf
EAP - The Pacific Infrastructure Challenge - World Bank (2006).pdf
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Figure A.25: Road Network Density vs. Population Density<br />
4.00<br />
Barbados<br />
3.50<br />
Road Network Density (Total km road/total land area)<br />
3.00<br />
2.50<br />
2.00<br />
1.50<br />
1.00<br />
Tonga<br />
Kiribati<br />
St Lucia<br />
Jamaica<br />
Mauritius<br />
Philippines<br />
0.50<br />
FSM<br />
New Zealand Marshall Islands<br />
Timor-Leste<br />
Samoa Fiji<br />
Vanuatu Palau<br />
0.00<br />
PNG<br />
Solomon Islands<br />
- 100 200 300 400 500 600 700<br />
Population Density<br />
Source: Road km data from CIA <strong>World</strong> Fact Book, population figures are from WDI database (latest data)<br />
Notes: PNG: Papua New Guinea, FSM: Federated States of Micronesia<br />
Most <strong>Pacific</strong> countries have fewer roads per square kilometer than would be expected given<br />
their population densities. In Vanuatu for example, a significant number of people live in the<br />
interior of Efate Island and Espiritu Santo Island but have no road access from their<br />
settlements to the coast road. Figure A.26 compares the number of vehicles per kilometer of<br />
road in <strong>Pacific</strong> and comparator countries.<br />
This graph shows that none of the <strong>Pacific</strong> countries have especially heavy traffic relative to<br />
the size of their road networks and Tonga has the lowest number of vehicles per kilometer<br />
of road. Although these graphs do not taken into account the differences in access between<br />
rural and urban areas, they suggest that the road density in <strong>Pacific</strong> island countries is<br />
adequate, given the size of the population and traffic.<br />
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