In cities such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Kampala, UN-Habitat has, in the past, worked with governments and NGOs to provide bike lanes and re-design streets and public spaces to integrate them with public transport.
Many African countries use minivans to provide the only public transport service available, but authorities find it challenging to impose safety standards, particularly the current hygiene and sanitation guidelines, or control fares.
Many cities, including Dar es Salaam, have demonstrated how informally-operated transport can be transformed into an efficient public transit system with modern and well-maintained buses on dedicated lanes.
A modern public transport system and better footpaths and cycling lanes will also make roads safer – this would be a very important benefit in Africa which has the highest number of fatalities of any global region at 26 deaths per 100,000 population.
As African countries consider fiscal interventions to stimulate their falling economies, governments should prioritize interventions that improve urban systems to reduce the need for car travel and expand public transport.
