It’s a long, long walk: accessibility to hospitals, maternity and integrated health centers in Niger

Table 1 Walking and Vehicular travel times on different road surfaces in Niger during the dry and wet season

Road Type	(a) Dry season*		(b) Wet season**
	Walking	Vehicle	Walking	Vehicle
Primary (Paved)	5 km/h (12 min/km)	30 km/h (2 min/km)	4 km/h (15 min/km)	20 km/h (3 min/km)
Secondary & Tertiary	4 km/h (15 min/km)	17 km/h (3.5 min/km)	3 km/h (20 min/km)	8 km/h (7.5 min/km)
			Impassable where intersect with a river	Impassable where intersect with a river
Track through sandy desert*	2 km/h (30 min/km)	6.78-13.54 km/h (4.4 min/km – 8.6 min/km)	1.7 km/h (40 min/km)	Impassable

(a) Dry Season: Documented travelling times in Niger is very limited therefore travelling times along the different types of roads during the dry season were constructed from a variety of sources and are summarized below. (b) Wet Season: Documented travelling times in Niger is very limited therefore travelling times along the different types of roads during the rainy season were constructed from a variety of sources and are summarized below.
*traveling from Agadez to Bilma (approximately 650 km) (across the Tenere Desert) walking with and riding camels takes 2 weeks therefore walking speed was estimated at approximately 2 km/h[59] (similar to Tanser et al.,[65]); travel using local vehicles takes 2–4 days therefore travel speed was calculated to be 6.78–13.54 km/h[60].
** The desert piste roads (highlighted as track) as well as many of the secondary roads are dirt or gravel and can become impassable after heavy rains[37]. Reduction in travelling speeds are estimates that were based on travel speeds from Nelson[62].

ISSN: 1476-072X