The Cote d’Ivoire urban master plan in greater Abidjan recognizes both walking and cycling as key feeder modes to public transport, and notes that linked networks ‘should be easy to access, aesthetic, clean and safe.’ Transit malls and ‘walking streets’ are to be promoted.
Background
Cote d’Ivore is the largest economy in francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, and the third largest in West Africa, with a population of 24.3 million. The country is highly urbanized, and the Greater Abidjan Area is the engine of growth of the country. More than half—56 percent—of Côte d’Ivoire’s population lives in urban centers (World Bank 2019).
Challenges
Urban mobility is become a major challenge in Abidjan. The city’s informal public transport system is characterized by lack of coordination, it is outdated and inadequate to meet the increasing demand. Additionally, a large share of Abidjan’s population continues to depend on walking for their daily mobility needs. Approximately 40 percent of the 13.6 million daily trips in the city take place on foot (World Bank, 2019).
Pedestrian facilities are inadequate or non-existent, and the number of crashes in which pedestrians are involved has been increasing noticeably over the years. Vulnerable road users represent approximately 46% of all road traffic related victims of more than 3600 fatalities on the country’s roads each year. Despite crashes in Abidjan involving pedestrians being on the rise, sidewalks, pedestrian bridges, and crosswalks are still not being constructed to keep pace.
Successes
In 2015 the Cote d’Ivoire Ministry of Construction, Housing, Sanitation and Urban Development (MCLAU), together with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) produced a document titled Project for the Development of the Urban Master Plan in Greater Abidjan. Concerns about pedestrian safety and urban quality are frequently raised in the document, with the directive to provide facilities such as crosswalks, pelican crossings, and pedestrian bridges/underpasses.
Within the section on residential design, the urban master plan proposes the development of a network of sidewalks and bicycle paths that provide interior circulation, as well as connections to nearby schools, shops, or other activity centers. In 2019, following the continued advocacy to have the government and institutions create cycle lanes, a law was approved by the Council of Ministers to create cycle lanes when new road infrastructures are built.
Additionally, as part of the search for efficient and sustainable solutions to solve Abidjan’s mobility problems, the public authorities, through the Greater Abidjan Urban Master Plan (SDUGA), are promoting mass transit systems to link the most populated areas with business neighborhoods. One of the sub components being integration of the BRT with the existing public transport network and in the urban environment will involve the construction infrastructure that will place a strong focus on accessibility and road safety, with the rehabilitation of sidewalks, construction of bicycle lanes, provision of convenient and safe pedestrian crossings, and assessment and mitigation measures for road safety during design and construction of the infrastructure. Beyond accessibility, security for women will also receive strong focus with well-lit and camera monitored stations for a safer environment (World Bank 2019).
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