78 per cent of Africa’s population commutes by foot and on bicycles every day, yet difficult, dangerous and uncomfortable conditions contribute to a rapid rise in the number of vehicles in cities and an increasing number of road fatalities. This has grave implications for people’s health and the environment: 261 pedestrians and 18 cyclists are killed every day on the roads, along with over 258,000 deaths annually as a result of air pollution. These findings appear in a UN report released today, which recommends policies and investments to protect and enable Africans who commute by walking and cycling – often for lack of another choice.The report, Walking and Cycling in Africa – Evidence and Good Practice to Inspire Action, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the Walk21 Foundation, is the first to gather and analyse data on the issue from highly diverse contexts in all 54 African countries. The report development was supported by the Urban Pathways Project and the FIA Foundation, the latter of which co-launched the Share the Road Walking and Cycling Programme with UNEP in 2008
- Published in
- Kenya
