| Overview : The Pedestrian First Zambia project aims to promote stronger leadership in the public and the private sector to advocate for more pedestrian/bicycle/wheelchair safe infrastructure throughout Zambia. It also aims to change attitudes and priorities toward non-motorized transport (NMT). Enhancing walkability in Zambia will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs reducing inequalities amongst road users, enhancing liveable cities, decreasing air pollution, and improving access to clean energy and wellbeing for a healthier population. Safe walking and cycling infrastructure, not only will decrease the cost of transport of the disadvantaged but also, it will, in turn, improve people’s health and have positive benefits on economic productivity. The project will also be a catalyst for converting Lusaka into a liveable city that will encourage business investment, especially in the tertiary and service sectors, and contribute to reduced carbon emissions. Ultimately, this will contribute towards transforming Zambia into a nation of healthy and productive people as outlined in the 2017-2021 7NDP. Many streets in Lusaka and other cities in Zambia, do not have adequate infrastructure to support children walking to and from school. Children are therefore at a high risk of being involved in a traffic crash. Children are generally smaller than adults and are thus less visible to drivers. Children also lack the perceptive skills needed to judge vehicle distances and speed. Motorists moving near or around schools may also not apply safe driving practices when they are driving near a school and thus place children at risk. Road traffic crash statistics recorded in 2018 that 181 children under the age of 16 were killed because of road traffic crashes throughout the country. Another 527 children sustained serious injuries and 874 sustained slight injuries[1]. These figures are underestimates due to many traffic crashes not being reported and as a result not being captured by official statistics. [1]https://www.rtsa.org.zm/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/RTSA-ANNUAL-REPORT-2018.pdf |
