The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners are spearheading the creation of a Pan-African Action Plan for Active Mobility (PAAPAM). This plan seeks to elevate the importance of and garner more investment for active mobility across Africa.
Aligned with the mandate of UNEP, this initiative aims to develop policies and programmes to reshape the transportation sector. Its objectives include enhancing public safety and health, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, improving accessibility, and safeguarding the environment. The PAAPAM action areas include:
- Policy development
PAAPAM ensures that commitments to walking and cycling are embedded in multi-sectoral policies and that there is political leadership that enables and fosters collaboration for active mobility integration across health, climate, urban planning, gender and transport dimensions. - Institutional and human capacity
Through PAAPAM, countries will work at improving their human and institutional capacity via educational programmes, continuous professional development and knowledge exchange. They will also commit to prioritization of research and data collection initiatives to gather evidence for the proficient development and management of active mobility projects.
- Finance and investment
Governments need to strengthen financing mechanisms by ensuring budgetary allocation for development of active mobility infrastructure and technology-based innovations in transport systems to reduce congestion and pollution while improving efficiency, connectivity, accessibility, health and quality of life.
- Infrastructure
PAAPAM guides countries to enact complete streets policies and guidelines that emphasize standardized pedestrian and cyclist-friendly designs for safe and inclusive infrastructure. Countries will also employ data in active mobility infrastructure guided by travel patterns as well as develop connected walking and cycling networks.
- Integrated land use and transport planning
PAAPAM seeks to strengthen integration of land use and transport planning to support compact and transit-oriented development that is accessible to all leading to a reduction of travel and transport needs, enhances connectivity between urban, peri-urban and rural areas and gives priority to walking, cycling and public transport users.
- Gender and equity
PAAPAM envisages to mainstream gender perspectives and needs in transportation planning processes, to ensure development and implementation of active mobility infrastructures that meet the diverse needs of all people regardless of age, gender,or physical ability.
- Rural mobility
PAAPAM seeks to enhance effective rural transportation planning that improves multimodal and intermodal transport system aimed at increasing accessibility of goods and services by rural communities to attain their desired quality of life.
- Road safety and health
PAAPAM seeks to address the impacts and opportunities of transport on human health through taking action to eliminate road accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists and addressing environmental pollution. It encourages the development of inclusive and comfortable active environments that emphasize the value of walking and cycling as a mode of choice.
- Climate change and environmental
PAAPAM seeks to elevate the role of walking and cycling in reducing emissions and pollution from the transport sector through integration in global commitments, local action to improve the walking and cycling experience and the integration of nature-based solutions.
- Outreach and communication
Through effective communication strategies, stakeholders will be informed about the benefits of active mobility and the expected standards of infrastructure. Communication and outreach will also be a way of gathering input from local communities to ensure that the infrastructure aligns with cultural, social and practical preferences.
