Geneva: Kicking off the 8th United Nations Global Road Safety Week under the theme “Make walking and cycling safe,” the World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a groundbreaking toolkit to empower governments to promote safer active mobility. With road crashes claiming nearly 1.2 million lives annually—over a quarter of them pedestrians or cyclists—the need for bold action is critical.
The new toolkit, unveiled today, provides practical, evidence-based guidance for policymakers, urban planners, health advocates, and civil society to make walking and cycling safer and more accessible. It calls for integrating walking and cycling into transport, health, environmental, and education policies, building safe infrastructure like sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and protected cycle lanes, and enforcing safer speed limits aligned with global best practices. The toolkit also emphasises promoting safe road use through public awareness and behaviour change campaigns and using financial incentives to encourage active mobility.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, highlighted the broader benefits: “Walking and cycling improve health and make cities more sustainable. Every step and every ride helps to cut congestion, air pollution, and disease. But we must make walking and cycling safe, so more people choose these healthier, greener options.” Yet, only 0.2% of roads worldwide have cycle lanes, and far too many communities lack basic sidewalks or safe pedestrian crossings, leaving vulnerable road users at risk.
Despite some progress—global pedestrian deaths dropped slightly and cyclist deaths plateaued between 2011 and 2021—regional trends reveal growing dangers. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, pedestrian deaths surged by 42%. In the European Region, cyclist fatalities climbed by 50%, while in the Western Pacific Region, cyclist deaths skyrocketed by 88%. These alarming spikes underscore the urgency of the toolkit’s call to action.
Currently, fewer than one-third of countries have national policies to promote walking and cycling, a gap the toolkit seeks to address. Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Department for the Social Determinants of Health, stressed the stakes: “It is urgent to make what should be our most natural means of transport, safer. This is paramount for road safety, but also for health, equity, and climate. We’re calling on all sectors—transport, health, education, and beyond—to make walking and cycling safe and accessible for everyone.”
This week, WHO joins hundreds of organisations and governments worldwide, including the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, which is mobilising over 400 member organisations across 100 countries to support the campaign. The collective effort aims to transform roads into spaces that prioritise people, health, and sustainability.
– global bihari bureau
