Report: Walking and Cycling in Africa – Evidence and Good Practice to Inspire Action

Better infrastructure and policies can support a billion pedestrians and cyclists

Walk21, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published the first report to present data on walking and cycling from all 54 African countries. The report Walking and Cycling in Africa – Evidence and Good Practice to Inspire Action demonstrates the everyday reality for one billion people in Africa who walk and cycle every day. The report, for the first time, gathers, analyses and presents relevant data from all countries in Africa. It baselines the policy and conditions by applying a walking lens to existing data sources, showing highly diverse contexts.

The report finds that 78% of people in Africa are walking for nearly an hour every day to access work, education, health care and food. And that, the majority of the streets where the walking occurs is unsafe, difficult to access and uncomfortable. Better policies and new investment in infrastructure is however emerging and having a positive impact to citizens throughout the region.

The report emphasizes the need for safety and comfort to be a core priority if we are to ensure healthier and more equitable low carbon cities in Africa. To realise the full benefits of walking and cycling, the report calls for:

Recommendations

• Greater protection of pedestrians and cyclists from private vehicles, including women, children and people with disabilities;
• Investments in adequate infrastructure, including wider footpaths, safer road crossings,  lighting, shelter from weather and access to public transportation;
• Better data collection, including engaging communities on policies and street design and measuring public satisfaction and mapping public transportation catchment walkability.

Credits

The report was possible with the support from FIA Foundation, UKAID through the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, HVT Applied Research Programme and the German Environment Ministry’s International Climate Initiative (IKI).