 The Sustainable Urban Mobility (SUM) component is a new activity within the SCP Programme. Active since mid 2003, this component offers SCP cities the opportunity of technical support and limited funding to build technical capacity in the area of low-cost mobility (walking and cycling) planning and management. It will also demonstrate the positive impacts of infrastructure interventions aimed at increasing the efficiency and safety of these modes of transport. Lessons and experiences obtained by the participating cities will be disseminated SCP-wide through newsletters and a dedicated website. The SUM initiative is aimed at strengthening the technical knowledge of local authorities and their partners on sustainable urban mobility and to institutionalise it through the SCP/Environmental Planning and Management process. The support will focus on improving the readiness and ability of local authorities to allocate financial and human resources towards enhancing sustainable urban mobility with a strong focus on poverty reduction and therefore on low cost transportation. The SUM initiative is currently being implemented in Kisumu, (link to country activities) Kenya with the technical support of ITDG, and will soon begin in Tanzania.
SUM in Kisumu The first SUM demonstration project is under way in Kisumu, Kenya. Kisumu, a middle size town with a population of approximately 350,000 people is located in western Kenya at the shores of Lake Victoria. Many residents in Kisumu travel by boda boda, a bicycle taxi that is cheap, relatively fast and convenient – because it will stop wherever the passenger wants to get off. Despite their popularity, boda bodas are not very safe because of the missing supporting infrastructure and the fact that many road users are ignorant of road regulations. Following a City Consultation held in August 2004, the Kisumu City Council in collaboration with SCP, ITDG, IHE-UNESCO, and the various stakeholders have finalised an Environmental Profile and are now developing a city-wide urban mobility strategy that will provide a framework for area-specific action plans for selected hotspots. |
SUM website: www.scp-mobility.org/
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