How TRANS-SAFE Living Labs are improving road safety in African cities

Across Africa, the TRANS-SAFE Living Labs are no longer about testing ideas on paper. They are about what is actually happening on the streets. In Kigali, Cape Town, Kumasi and Lusaka, cities are putting data, training and community input to work in very concrete ways, addressing road safety risks where they are felt most, especially by vulnerable road users.

What connects these different places is a shared shift from planning to practice, and a growing confidence that local action, when supported by the right tools, can lead to safer urban environments.

Pedestrian safety remains a priority as cities use data and local action to identify and improve high-risk crossings

Kigali, Rwanda: from insight to action

In Kigali, the Living Lab has moved into an active demonstration phase. Local partners have developed a dynamic crash hotspot dashboard that brings together crowd-sourced information and official crash data, creating a clearer picture of where risks concentrate across the city. Alongside this, a walkability mobile app was launched, opening a channel for residents to share their experiences of pedestrian safety, particularly around schools and markets.

One of the most significant steps has been the Safe Routes to School education campaigns. These reached both teachers and students and were paired with RwandaRAP safety assessments near school zones. Together, these actions are helping authorities identify high-risk locations more precisely, laying the groundwork for low-cost interventions that respond directly to local conditions.

Training and capacity building have played a parallel role. Through the Safe and Clean Vehicles Summit and Stop the Bleed and extrication training for first responders, both prevention and post-crash response have been strengthened. More than 2,800 police officers and hundreds of community members took part.

Kigali’s experience shows how digital tools and hands-on training can translate Safe System principles into everyday practice, with lessons from the pilot now feeding into national policy discussions on scaling similar approaches.

Learn more about the TRANS-SAFE project and its Living Labs across Africa on the project website

Cape Town, South Africa: using technology to protect vulnerable road users

In Cape Town, TRANS-SAFE demonstrations are reshaping how road safety data is collected and used. An AI-supported pedestrian highway-crossing analytics tool is now operational, offering detailed risk mapping along some of the city’s busiest corridors. At the same time, the Blue Dot driver behaviour analysis program continues to monitor public transport performance, generating insights that support better enforcement and driver support.

Questions of gender and inclusivity have been built into this work from the start. virtual reality-based perception studies have explored women’s safety in transport environments, and the findings have been integrated into urban design processes and awareness campaigns. In parallel, a Safe Routes to School pilot and a cost–benefit analysis tool are helping local authorities focus on road safety measures that offer strong returns without requiring high investment.

The Cape Town Living Lab shows how data analytics, behavioural insights and citizen engagement can come together to make road safety efforts more targeted, more effective and more equitable.

Kumasi, Ghana: strengthening enforcement and response

In Kumasi, the focus has been on building a stronger evidence base for enforcement and safer street design. Digital crash and speed mapping has been completed, producing the city’s first comprehensive overview of urban road risks. This work supports smart traffic control pilots at priority junctions, aimed at improving traffic flow and reducing crashes linked to speeding.

These technical measures are complemented by post-licence driver training, self-explaining road designs near schools and pilot electronic police technologies that support more efficient enforcement. The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has also played a key role, hosting first-aid and post-crash training sessions that strengthen coordination between transport authorities and emergency responders.

Taken together, these actions reflect Kumasi’s growing capacity to apply Safe System thinking across the full road safety chain, from prevention through to post-crash care.

Lusaka, Zambia: safer streets for pedestrians

In Lusaka, the Living Lab has concentrated on improving safety for non-motorised transport users. Geospatial mapping of NMT user safety has identified ten high-risk pedestrian intersections, all of which are now integrated into a digital monitoring platform. This evidence is guiding targeted safety retrofits, including improved crossings and clearer signage.

Capacity building has been equally important. A train-the-trainer post-crash care program has helped establish lasting local expertise by equipping instructors and emergency personnel with life-saving skills. Looking ahead, digital speed recording and mapping initiatives are planned to support better enforcement planning and inform future infrastructure design. In Lusaka, the demonstrations show how evidence, education and engineering can reinforce one another in practical ways.

From local demonstrations to wider impact

Across all four Living Labs, TRANS-SAFE has moved decisively from pilot planning to tangible implementation. Cities are now using digital tools, training programmes and participatory approaches to address urban crash risks, with particular attention to vulnerable road users.

The next phase focuses on finalising replication roadmaps and national scale-up strategies, ensuring that what is being learned locally can inform broader African and EU–Africa road safety policies.

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Editorial note: This article is based on background inputs provided by Edmund Teko.