Morocco's road network ranks among the best in the world
Morocco ranks as the 16th country with the best road network in terms of density and quality of connections based on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Average Speed and Quality of Roads Report 2022.
The communication of the country's rural areas with the major cities is, according to the US platform, Insider Monkey, the factor that has positioned the Moroccan nation well in the ranking. Second only to the major global powers, Morocco has also become a benchmark in the transport sector.
Average speed is a comprehensive measure of road quality, as it includes factors such as accessibility, road surface conditions, traffic flow and technology used.
"Morocco has one of the best roads in the world. The average speed between Morocco's main cities is 95 kilometres per hour. A significant part of the state budget is spent on road repairs which provides a higher quality of rural roads in Morocco," wrote Insider Monkey.
Just behind Morocco are Italy, Serbia, Iran and Sweden. At the same time, Australia (15th), Austria (14th), Hungary (13th), Germany (12th), Czech Republic (11th), Croatia (10th), Namibia (9th), South Africa (8th), Oman (7th) and Spain (6th), France (5th), Canada (4th), Saudi Arabia (3rd), Portugal (2nd) and USA (1st) complete the ranking. Surprisingly absent from the top 20 are countries such as China, Japan, the Emirates, Qatar, the Netherlands and Belgium.
"France has one of the best roads in the world, with average speeds of 105 km/h between the main urban centres". The country has safe and smooth roads that allow fast travel between cities. "France's transport infrastructure is well developed and offers reliable services," says the report.
On the other hand, we have Canada and Saudi Arabia. The latter offers high speeds, with an average of 106 kilometres per hour between major cities. Saudi Arabia has an extensive road network connecting cities, railways, ports and airports. Under the Vision2030, the Saudi Government continues to allocate funds to improve road infrastructure within the zero emission (NetZero) framework.
Roads provide accessibility for travel, so a designated road network is essential for inclusive development. Improved road access reduces travel time and improves productivity. The United Nations recognises the importance of road transport and has included an index in its Sustainable Development Goals to track infrastructure development. This indicator is based on the proportion of the rural population living within 2 kilometres of a road throughout the year.
A good road transport network therefore provides high public transport connectivity throughout the country, enabling rural residents to access the country's socio-economic centres. In this respect, Rabat expects improved connections in the south-eastern regions of the country to fully consolidate its position as one of the countries with the best road conditions in the world.