This blog was written by Tu My Tran and reviewed by Blake Robinson, ICLEI World Secretariat

All trips begin or end with walking. In many cities around the world, congestion and pollution have reached a tipping point, space is limited, and the use of private cars to move is not efficient. Despite this, most mobility-related investments focus on new roads and highways catering for motorized transport rather than improving walking and cycling infrastructure which require less space and cost per commuter.

Many African cities are stuck in perpetual congestion that could be avoided by prioritizing investments to make walking, cycling, and public transport more convenient and reliable. The first-ever African Mobility Month, a social media campaign which ran from 20 September to 20 October 2019, aimed to boost and amplify the voice of the many initiatives promoting walking and cycling as clean and healthy modes of transport. By showing public demand for safe infrastructure, the campaign hoped to attract national governments’ support. Walking and cycling national policies and dedicated financial resources would enable African cities to invest in safe walking and cycling infrastructure and programs.

In many African cities, over a third of citizens move between their daily activities on foot or by bicycle. However, they face extreme risks in doing so as they often have to share the road with fast-moving trucks and cars. As cars are seen as aspirational, people who walk or cycle are often looked down upon instead of being recognized as valuable and sustainable road users. These modes are typically seen as reserved for the poor who cannot afford motorized alternatives. How can the status of clean, healthy and affordable modes of transport like walking and cycling be elevated and, why not, become part of a desirable urban lifestyle in African cities?

How to change the narrative?

A new narrative is being promoted by African initiatives like car-free days, OpenStreets, Critical Mass. During car-free days, OpenStreets, Placemaking, and similar events, roads are closed to cars and become safe public spaces for people. By experiencing what it is like to walk or cycle safely through streets without competition from vehicles, people can enjoy and envision a different use for their city’s streets. A car-free day turns into an opportunity to raise awareness on air pollution, engage communities, and promote active mobility and healthy lifestyles. In Addis Ababa, Menged Le Sew (“streets for people”) has taken place every last Sunday of the month since December 2018. Having overcome initial resistance from motorists and small business owners, the initiative is gaining popularity, and it is succeeding in providing access to sports, making people reimagine their streets, and providing a space to create healthier habits for the entire family. As a government scheme, Menged Le Sew takes place in up to 20 cities across Ethiopia, and people have started to demand weekly events in Addis Ababa.

Car-free initiatives such as car-free days do more than unlocking the imagination. They bridge social and spatial divisions within the city and beyond it. Open Streets Cape Town, the first formal Open Streets program in Africa, aims to bring people together to create a more equitable, integrated, vibrant and safer Cape Town and counts on the partnership with the local administration. This citizen-led initiative has organized Open Streets events across Cape Town and inspired many more across Africa, including Abuja (Nigeria), Windhoek (Namibia), and Kampala (Uganda).

How to get started?

Transforming city streets to be safer for cyclists is the goal of Critical Mass Movements and Bike Buses, where organized groups of cyclists claim their right-of-way by cutting through streets clogged with traffic. Such initiatives usually start quite small, but through regular actions and good communications, they garner greater participation. Critical Mass Nairobi started with just seven cyclists and nowadays gathers hundreds of enthusiasts, while Cape Town Moonlight Critical Mass gained popularity by organizing night rides through city streets every full moon. By riding their bikes, these grassroots movements generate more support for cycling as a daily way to move in cities while campaigning on social media for adequate cycling infrastructure and greater respect from motorists.

How to act as smaller cities?

Large cities are not alone in seeking change. As congestion increasingly affects urban areas of all sizes, promoting walking and cycling as a healthy and clean alternative becomes increasingly attractive for forward-thinking smaller towns and cities in Africa. Ugandan cities Jinja and Entebbe are taking steps towards promoting walking and cycling following their introduction to ecomobility by ICLEI. Entebbe hosted the first annual “Bike Up Uganda” event to promote cycling and tourism in the city, while Jinja’s Mayor Batambuze guided a group of dignitaries on bicycles. In a continent where status is associated with expensive vehicles, getting Mayors and local chiefs out of their vehicles and onto bicycles is a powerful tool to change perception, especially for organizations and municipalities with limited resources.

How to join African Mobility Month?

The first African Mobility Month campaign achieved a combined social media reach of 4.57 million. Organized by ICLEI in collaboration with UN-Habitat, UN Environment, ITDP, GIZ, Open Streets Cape Town and Critical Mass Nairobi, African Mobility Month connected existing activities that support walking and cycling across the continent for one month using the #AfricanMobilityMonth hashtag, and demonstrated the magnitude of citizen support for active mobility in African cities.

The journey of African Mobility Month has just begun. To inspire a larger African Mobility Month in 2020, we are looking for partners to help us scale up and source funding to help cities to implement supportive actions and raise their ambitions. If you want to share your ideas and be part of this journey of helping African cities to move in the right direction, please get in touch with ecomobility@iclei.org.

Related post:

http://africa.iclei.org/news-events/news-details/article/african-mobility-month-walking-the-talk-on-sustainable-mobility.html