iRAP’s Project Coordinator Shanna Lucchesi attended the Walk 21 Conference last month in Kigali, Rwanda.
Shanna presented in two sessions:
- TD 3.3 session – Schools & Road Safety ”Safety perception and safety measures join forces to improve safety for youth around schools”
- TD 5.2 session – Road Safety Tools “Update of global benchmark of safety conditions to vulnerable road users.”
Here is Shanna’s summary from the event:
Pedestrian infrastructure around the globe has not yet met road safety standards. Only 16% of the km of roads assessed using the star ratings are classified as 3-star or better. Sixteen percent!
That’s why opportunities to discuss safety and learn with others are important to speed up and scale the changes. This was exactly what happened at the Walk21 Foundation conference in Kigali.
It was great to chat and meet so many iRAP partners and enthusiastic people who share the same passion: safe infrastructure for pedestrians in Africa and beyond.
It was also fantastic to see so many using the Star Rating for Schools tool to measure risk and intervention impacts.
Key reflections from the event include:
- More data about pedestrians is needed on a large scale and emerging data sources are still not used to their full potential.
- Engage the community to put encourage politicians to recognise that pedestrian infrastructure is needed.
- Join forces with the cycling community and public transportation to redesign safer streets for all.
By the way, my recognition to Kigali. The city is leading the way for more car-free zones and better sidewalks in the African continent.
