Authors : Omogberiale Sylvester; Ade Adebayo; Akingbemisola Sunday Philip

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 4 - April

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr010

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Access to socio-economic opportunities is fundamental to rural development, yet poor transportation infrastructure limits rural populations' ability to access essential services in developing regions. This study examines how transportation modes affect access to healthcare, education, markets, and agricultural productivity in rural Edo State, Nigeria. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 1,250 respondents across 18 communities in six local government areas. The study employed structured questionnaires, GIS spatial analysis, and chi-square tests. Findings reveal that transportation infrastructure significantly influences access to socio-economic opportunities, with 85.9% of respondents affirming that poor transportation causes service unavailability. Severe accessibility challenges exist, particularly in healthcare, where respondents in poorly connected areas travel more than 10 kilometers to facilities. Long distance emerged as the primary challenge (Mean Index Value = 4.22), followed by rickety vehicles and rising costs (MIV = 3.9 each). Dominant transport modes were motorcycles (68.5%), bicycles (61.4%), and walking (51.7%). Chi-square analysis confirmed significant relationships between transportation means and accessibility (χ² = 52.618, p < 0.05). Improving rural transportation infrastructure is critical for enhancing service accessibility and sustainable development. Recommendations include prioritizing feeder roads, promoting intermediate transport, establishing transport hubs, and integrating planning with service delivery.

Keywords : Transportation Infrastructure, Rural Accessibility, Healthcare Access, Education Access, Agricultural Productivity, Edo State, Nigeria.

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