Equitable Mobility for City Health and Wellbeing (EquiMob) is working with vulnerable urban residents (including the poor, disabled and children) in two cities in Kenya (Nairobi and Mombasa) to understand how their journeys, and the daily challenges and risks they confront, affect health and wellbeing, both psychologically and physically.
For many East African residents, travel around cities is problematic due to poor walking and cycling infrastructure, traffic congestion leading to long travel times, and exposure to pollution and road safety hazards, all of which impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
The transport sector in urban Africa vividly demonstrates how structural and wealth inequalities play out, those living and working in the informal sector suffer disproportionate negative impacts on their health, livelihoods and quality of life.
The predominance of private cars used by the middle and upper classes in cities of low- and middle-income countries creates congestion and dominate road infrastructure investments, for which the urban poor bear the burden, in terms of health impacts.
The increasing use of vehicles over time has led to higher levels of air pollution, which has a negative impact on health e.g. respiratory infections, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and lung cancer. Noise from motorised transport accounts for a significant health burden including mental health impacts and cardiovascular disease. The transport sector also indirectly affects health through climate change pathways by accounting for 25% of global carbon dioxide emissions; 75% of which arise from road transport (UNECE). Economic impacts related to congestion and accessibility and social problems due to poor mobility and inequality are also felt most by the lower income and vulnerable people in cities.
Road safety
Africa has the highest road traffic fatality rate in the world (26.6 fatalities per 100K population (ODI, 2017 ) due partially to poorly planned cities. In central and eastern parts of sub-Saharan Africa upwards of 50 per cent of deaths are pedestrians. Road injuries are the number-one killer of young people ages 15 to 29 years.
At a human level every road traffic accident affects individuals, families and communities. In many cases families are uninsured and so face large medical bills they are unable to afford, especially with the loss of a livelihood. They then face a struggle to avoid falling into poverty.
Road crashes cost an estimated 1% to 5% of GDP in developing countries (WHO 2015 ). In addition, congestion is another a major economic disadvantage. Therefore, improving transport in African cities can lead to positive effects on national income growth as well as a solution to providing basic services and reducing poverty.
Equitable Mobility for Health and Well-being 