Nairobi and Mombasa to Benefit from Sh45 Billion Road Safety Plan Targeting Deadly Urban Roads
A New Push to Tackle Rising Road Deaths is Putting Nairobi & Mombasa at the Forefront of a Massive Sh45 Billion Road Safety Programme – and It’s About Time
The programme, which is targeting some of the world’s most treacherous urban roads, comes at a time when concerns about preventable traffic deaths are really starting to pile up – and for all the wrong reasons. The fact is, many of these tragic losses could easily be avoided if only our infrastructure was better, enforcement was stronger and we looked after pedestrians and cyclists a bit more.
So what’s the deal with all that cash? Well, Bloomberg Philanthropies unveiled their package – which is basically worth the same as $350 million – at CityLab 2026. And the big news is that the cash is going to be spent in no less than 13 different countries.
A Global Problem That’s Often Ignored
Road crashes are a killer – but they’re also a bit of a stealthy killer. They just sort of creep up on us, quietly claiming lives without anyone really taking much notice. Michael Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, knows full well how bad it is. He reckons the issue doesn’t get the attention it deserves even though the damage is massive.
“Road traffic injuries are simply one of the most overlooked public health challenges out there”, he said, pointing out that we could save loads of lives if we just made a few simple changes with road design and policy. Since 2007, Bloomberg Philanthropies has already sunk a small fortune – about $865 million – into road safety projects all around the world.
And what a difference it’s made! They’ve got nearly 190 new policies now in place across cities and countries, covering something like 4.2 billion people. Plus they’ve got safety features in over 130 different car models, they’ve redesigned more than 2,400 death trap junctions and they’ve even trained over 80,000 traffic cops in 22 countries. That’s got to be worth tens of thousands of lives saved.
“It’s all been a bit of a game changer” he said – “but sadly there’s still loads more to do”
What It Means for Mombasa and Nairobi
For the good people of Mombasa, the announcement is more than just a bit of cash – it’s a chance to rethink the whole way the city moves. Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir reckons the investment is a chance to make their streets a whole lot safer “We are going to use this funding to do lots of the things that we’ve been talking about for ages – to protect our residents and make the city a bit more sustainable. We all want to know that every time we step out onto the streets, we are safe. This grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies will help make that happen. It will support all sorts of road safety initiatives – infrastructure upgrades, cycling networks – all sorts of things that will help us make our city a better place”.
Cycling, Safer Streets, and a Shift in Urban Planning
There’s no question a shift is underway toward cities that put cyclists and pedestrians first and are starting to see real signs of success. The next phase of the programme has a bold goal in mind – cutting one million lives lost on the roads each year in half over the next five years, with cycling infrastructure taking centre stage through the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure.
So far, the programme has made a real difference – getting two million people across 10 cities on the safer streets bandwagon since 2022. It’s delivered over 200 miles of cycling lanes that are a heck of a lot safer than they used to be, seen a drop in crashes and even helped lower carbon emissions.
To speed up progress there are plans to hold a global design competition to get cities working on building better cycling systems – and that’ll be backed up by new guidelines to make sure city planners all over the world are working to the same rules.
More Cities Join the Effort
But this is about more than just Nairobi. Cities from Buenos Aires to Dhaka, and from Rio de Janeiro to Hanoi are all part of this push for safer, more inclusive transport systems that aren’t dominated by cars.
The Bigger Picture: Preventable Deaths Still Rising
It’s a grim reality but here are some hard numbers – the World Health Organisation says that road crashes claim over one million lives every year, leaving tens of millions more with serious injuries that change their lives for ever.
Experts point to the root cause of this problem – are poorly designed roads, weak traffic laws and urban planning that puts cars ahead of people – and say that this is what’s got to change if we’re ever going to see a rise in road safety.
What’s Next – Cities Take Action
For Nairobi and Mombasa – and the other cities taking part – the next step will be to roll out some specific interventions. This could mean redesigning the most hazardous intersections, making sure pedestrian walkways are safe and easy to use, building out protected cycling lanes and making sure traffic cops are doing their job.
Meanwhile, governments are also being nudged to invest in public transport that’s safer too – like bus rapid transit – and to ramp up the fight against speeding and distracted driving, especially from people using their mobile phones while driving.
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Nairobi and Mombasa to Benefit from Sh45 Billion Road Safety Plan Targeting Deadly Urban Roads
