Share the Road is a partnership between UN Environment Programme and the FIA Foundation to promote walking and cycling as a priority in urban planning and design.

More than half the world’s population currently lives in urban areas and this is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. Projections suggest this shift will add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas, with close to 90% of this increase taking place in Asia and Africa. While the vast majority of road users in these regions do not have access to private motorised vehicles, urban transport systems are nonetheless usually designed to prioritise road use for cars and trucks, without safe, separate road space designed specifically for the separate needs of cyclists and pedestrians.

Investing in infrastructure for walking and cycling to support safer movement and encouraging the shift away from personal motorised vehicles has a number of key benefits for individuals and governments. Road safety is improved through the protection of vulnerable road users from high-speed traffic, air quality improves through reductions in vehicle-related pollution and greenhouse gases, and accessibility increases by providing the majority of citizens with safe and affordable means of travel to reach basic services and connect with other transport options such as buses and trains.

The Share the Road Programme supports governments, NGOs and other stakeholders in developing countries, particularly around the world to move away from prioritizing the car-driving minority towards investing in infrastructure for the vulnerable majority of road users those who walk and cycle. The programme advocates and collaborates for systematic investment in walking and cycling as one of the key solutions to ensuring urban accessibility, improving road safety and addressing the environmental challenges related to mobility.

The programme does this through global advocacy and communication, development of tools and guidance, and in-country technical assistance to deliver effective walking and cycling infrastructure policies. The overall goal of the programme is to introduce policies in government and donor agencies which act as a catalyst for systematic investments in walking and cycling road infrastructure.

Ethiopia developed a new national urban transport policy to promote walking and cycling in partnership with the Share the Road Programme. The Non-Motorized Transport Strategy 2020-2029 sets a number of ambitious but achievable targets for Ethiopian cities, including: 80% of all motorised trips to be taken on public transport/paratransit; non-motorised should represent at least 60% of journeys; gender parity in cyclists; Four-fifths reduction in pedestrians and cyclist fatalities against 2019 levels; and ambient air quality to meet 95% of World Health Organisation standards.

The Kenyan capital, Nairobi, developed a Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) policy as a joint initiative between the Share the Road Programme, the Kenya Alliance of Residents Association, and the Nairobi City County. The government has made notable strides in implementing the policy in order to improve the walking and cycling environment and catalyze investment in NMT. The policy includes a first of its kind commitment in Africa earmarking 20% of the city road construction budget to NMT investment.

The Republic of Zambia is one of the most urbanised countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with 8.7 millions citizens currently living in cities and towns. While just one in ten journeys in these areas are made by car, street designs do not focus on the safety of vulnerable road users. As part of the country’s urban non-motorised transport, developed with support from Share the Road, the government plans to contruct 40km of complete pedestrian facilities and 20km of cuclye tracks per year across ten key urban areas.

Learn more about the Share the Road programme.