Editing Transport in Benin (section)

== Roads ==
Benin possesses a total of 6,787&nbsp;km of [[highway]], of which 1,357&nbsp;km are paved.  Of the paved highways in the country, there are 10 [[Controlled-access highway|expressways]].  This leaves 5,430&nbsp;km of unpaved road.

The [[Trans–West African Coastal Highway]] crosses Benin, connecting it to [[Nigeria]] to the east, and [[Togo]], [[Ghana]] and [[Ivory Coast]] to the west. When construction in [[Liberia]] and [[Sierra Leone]] is finished, the highway will continue west to seven other [[Economic Community of West African States]] (ECOWAS) nations. A paved highway also connects Benin northwards to [[Niger]], and through that country to [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Mali]] to the north-west.

With the exception of the road linking Cotonou in the south to Malanville on the border with Niger in the north, and from Parakou in central Benin to [[Natitingou]] in the northwestern part of the country, roads in Benin are generally in poor condition and are often impassable during the rainy season. Benin's unpaved roads vary widely in quality; deep sand and potholes are common. During the rainy season from mid-June to mid-September, dirt roads often become impassable. Four-wheel drive vehicles with full spare tires and emergency equipment are recommended.<ref name="dos">{{Cite web|date=April 28, 2008|title=Benin|url=https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1066.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704070446/https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1066.html|archive-date=July 4, 2008|website=Travel.state.gov|publisher=[[Bureau of Consular Affairs]]}}</ref>

Most of the main streets in Cotonou are paved, but side streets are often dirt with deep potholes. Traffic moves on the right, as in the United States. Cotonou has no public transportation system; many Beninese people rely on bicycles, mopeds, motorbikes, and [[zémidjan]]s (moped taxis). Buses and bush taxis offer service in the interior.<ref name=dos/>

Gasoline smuggled from Nigeria is widely available in glass bottles and jugs at informal roadside stands throughout Cotonou and much of the country. This gasoline is of unreliable quality, often containing water or other contaminants that can damage or disable vehicles. There are periodic gas shortages, which can be particularly acute in the north of the country where there are few service stations.<ref name=dos/>

Poorly maintained and overloaded transport and cargo vehicles frequently break down and cause accidents. Drivers often place branches or leaves in the road to indicate a broken down vehicle is in the roadway. Undisciplined drivers move unpredictably through traffic. Construction work is often poorly indicated. Speed bumps, commonly used on paved roads in and near villages, are seldom indicated. Drivers must be on guard against people and livestock wandering into or across the roads. Nighttime driving is particularly hazardous as vehicles frequently lack headlights and/or taillights, and brake lights are often burned out.
With few exceptions, Cotonou and other cities lack any street lighting, and lighting on roads between population centers is non-existent. There have been numerous carjackings and robberies on roads in Benin after dark, several of which resulted in murder when the driver refused to comply with the assailants' demands. The National Police periodically conduct vehicle checks at provisional roadblocks in an effort to improve road safety and reduce the increasing number of carjackings.<ref name=dos/>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Road transport in Benin.">
DEGAN Gabin ( the suffering of women ).jpg|Headcarrying.
DEGAN Gabin ( a job of the push pushes ).jpg|Hand cart.
DEGAN Gabin ( the work of the zemidjans).jpg|[[Zemidjan]].
DEGAN Gabin ( passenger insecurity ).jpg|[[Peugeot]] automobile.
DEGAN Gabin ( overloading).jpg|[[Toyota]] van.
Parc de charbon de houedonou.jpg|Truck.
DEGAN Gabin ( road traffic).jpg|Bus.
</gallery>