For an overview of the initiative to improve and sustain community roads in Zambia click here and for an overview of the main and rural roads project in Guatemala, click here . Experience shows that people are motivated to organize themselves for their own benefit when they are granted legal ownership of the roads, provided technical advise, and can tap into cost-sharing schemes however symbolic not only for capital works but also for maintenance. Members of each association define rules regarding responsibilities and internal cost-sharing. General guidelines with regards to such rules and cost-sharing can be offered by the rural road agency. Communities carry the lion's share of the maintenance costs.
Annual grants are subject to satisfactory performance.
This model involves communities, government, existing road funds and donors in a partnership to bring community roads under regular maintenance. It encourages communities to take responsibility for their roads and provides a legal basis to permit cost-sharing. Experience indicates that the current discussion on private-public partnerships can gainfully be extended to the lowest level of the road network. In many developing countries, the largest private sector group are small-scale farmers. The road agency should seek a partnership with them for the management and financing of community roads.