In support of the key messages launched during the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week to spur action at national and local levels to make walking and cycling safe, the World Health Organization (WHO) published Promoting Walking and Cycling: A toolkit of policy options to help governments do this with guidance on areas such as integrating walking and cycling into relevant policy areas, safe infrastructure and safe speed limits.   
 
The toolkit offers various policy choices to encourage walking and cycling, emphasizing the wide-ranging advantages for individuals, communities, the environment, and the economy when safe active travel is prioritized for both leisure and transportation. 

Seven strategic policy options are outlined in the toolkit for countries to consider implementing. These aim to collectively ensure safer walking and cycling for all ages and abilities and to support the continuation or growth of these activities for transport and active recreation worldwide. It also includes case studies to showcase real-world examples of how these policy options are being successfully put into practice. 
 
More than a quarter of the nearly 1.2 million annual road deaths occur among people moving on foot or by bicycle. The risk is remarkably high in low and middle-income countries, where millions face huge risks each day as they walk to work or school on streets with no sidewalks, and no safe places to cross busy roads. Just a tiny fraction of the world’s roads – far less than 1% – have safe cycle lanes.

Urgent action is needed to make walking and cycling safe.  

To create #streetsforlife that are safe for walking and cycling, global efforts must be part of the tried, tested and proven ‘safe system’ approach to road safety. This takes a holistic approach to designing transport systems and makes human life- and human safety – the priority.

“Walking and cycling improve health and make cities more sustainable. Every step and every ride help to cut congestion, air pollution and disease,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But we must make walking and cycling safe, so more people choose these healthier, greener options.” 

To support these global efforts, iRAP has evidence-based tools and resources to help improve safer environments for vulnerable road users, in use by our partners in more than 130 countries.

The tools support the achievement of UN Targets 3 and 4 which include ensuring all new roads are built to a 3-star or better standard for all road users (Target 3), and more than 75% of travel is on the equivalent of 3-star or better roads for all road users by 2030 (Target 4).