Editing Transport in Mali (section)

===Urban transport===
Because rate of automobile ownership is low, and formal government run public transit is sparse, informal buses and taxis abound in Malian urban centers. [[Bamako]] in particular is known for its green and yellow taxi fleet. Other vehicles, including trucks, buses, motorcycles and mini-vans, function as taxis. In recent years small motorcycles, imported from China and most lacking licenses, have come to dominate much of Bamako's traffic.  Inexpensive motorbikes are often the only affordable transport in Mali, with Chinese made bikes selling for US$700.<ref>[http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-08/2007-08-27-voa35.cfm Chinese Motorcycles Flood West Africa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215161307/http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-08/2007-08-27-voa35.cfm |date=15 December 2008 }}. Kari Barber, Voice of America. 27 August 2007.</ref>

While the government formally requires licensing for both motorcycles and their operators, these rules are largely ignored.  Some 500,000 motorcycles were estimated to be operating in Mali in 2009, with two-thirds of them inexpensive Chinese made cycles, known locally as "Jakarta"s, which boast better fuel economy but fewer safety features than more expensive Japanese or Western brands.<ref>[http://www.newstatesman.com/africa/2009/06/motorcyclists-mali-bamako Motorcycle diaries]. Bryony Parker, The New Statesman. 18 June 2009.</ref>

In the 1990s, Bamako banned horse carts, which caused an increase in hand carts on the streets.  Recent road construction has included separated lanes for two wheeled (carts, bicycles, motorcycles), four wheeled, and pedestrian traffic.<ref>Paul Starkey. [http://www4.worldbank.org/afr/ssatp/Resources/HTML/Gender-RG/Source%20%20documents/Technical%20Reports/SSATP/TESSA1%20Local%20Transport%20Solutions%20Starkey.pdf  Local Transport Solutions: People, Paradoxes and Progress. Lessons Arising from the Spread of Intermediate Means of Transport]. SSATP Working Paper No. 56. Sub–Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program: The World Bank and Economic Commission for Africa. The World Bank (May 2001). pp. 39–40</ref>