As is the case in most Third World cities, Benghazi's urban growth has outpaced infrastructural development. The unexpected rapid growth has generated many typical urban problems particularly in the area of transportation and road accidents. The increase in vehicular traffic is affecting the entire fabric of urban life as the growing number of private cars begins to overwhelm Benghazi's road system. In 1999 12% of all deaths in Libya were caused by road traffic accidents and in 2000 the cost of road traffic accidents was put at more than 15 million LD. This paper argues that the existing public transport system could be better used through incorporation of small-scale services, like local taxis and minibuses, and new technology where feasible.The author suggests that improvement and development in the transportation sector be devoted entirely to buses and intermediate public carriers because of their complementary nature: buses operate on fixed routes and schedules, while minibuses have the flexibility to reach areas inaccessible by buses. In addition to decreasing demand for parking spaces in the central area, minibuses might further bring about traffic reduction and decreases in congestion, minimising road traffic accidents and thus preventing delays for both private automobiles and bus riders.

This paper outlines the main features of the Libyan health care delivery system in general and the development of the primary health care system in particular. In spite of achieving tremendous success for extending health care coverage to meet continuous and mounting demand for health care services all over the country, health status levels in the country as a whole have not yet reached the required target that should make them comparable with the developed world. Three major reasons are thought to be responsible for this deficiency — the lack of appointment systems, a proper referral system and reliable health care information centres both locally and nationally. Moreover, despite the fact that a hierarchy of health care delivery system exists in the country, it is not well-defined with a fixed division of functions and strict referral routes between health care facilities as conceptualised in most parts of the developed world.

The primary objective of this study is to examine the type of Primary Health Care (PHC) facility used by a sample of households in Ajedabiya, taking into account the respondents' living standards and their perception of the quality of the care provided, as well as the mode of travel and travel time required to reach the health care centres. The overall level of service use has been increasing over time, reaching an annual consultation rate of up to four visits per person per year, a high level by international standards. Three major groupings of disease were identified for which the four selected PHC facilities were preferred. Satisfaction with care was analysed by looking at key variables, including staff behaviour, availability of doctors, vector distance to the PHC facility, general evaluation of health services and qualified doctors. Household incomes did not appear to be an important factor except for attending private clinics. Unlike income, distance had a strong effect on utilisation, leading to the conclusion that PHC should continue to be provided within the community, and developed further to achieve equity, effectiveness and affordability.