More than a billion motives to focus on NMT Africa - Enhancing the quality of infrastructure to improve cycling safety and cycling culture in Africa, case in Ethiopia

Urban quality of life is measured by how clean the environment is, how safe people feel, how close they are to green spaces, and in general by the quality of outdoor space. Good quality public spaces are spaces that reduce road accidents through managing appropriately different transport modes, especially walking and cycling [1]. Cycling is healthy, economical, and environmentally sound form of mobility that is fundamental to life. More than one billion of the people in African cities walk or cycle for more than 55 minutes every day - to reach work, home, school, and other essential services [2]. One-third of the population of the African continent uses active mobility as a daily means of transport. This reveals that there is a potential of using cycling as a daily mode of travel in Africa. However, the poor quality of infrastructure for cycling sends a message that cyclists are not welcome in the urban environment. Despite the widespread use of non-motorized modes, transport planning and the provision of infrastructure in most of the cities in Africa have become carcentered, undermining the importance of cycling and walking. While the majority in the global south are active mobility users, they are not being respected by the public policies and experience 93% of the world's traffic fatalities and injuries [3]. Road traffic accidents are a major shes are not different in Africa. The World Health Organization Global Status report on Road Safety 2018 showed that the African region had 26.6 deaths per 100,000 populations, which is the highest among all regions [5]. Sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest per capita rate of road fatalities of any region in the world. Unfortunately, in most cases, the victims of traffic casualties are primarily pedestrians and cyclists [6]. Much of that is linked to the neglect of the infrastructure needs for pedestrians' and cyclists' safety. [From: Introduction