Urban roads: Enablers or barriers to walking? insights from Kigali, Rwanda

Road designs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) prioritize motorized traffic, despite the high proportion of pedestrians. This study examines the extent to which different road designs hinder or enable walking in Kigali, Rwanda, employing an exploratory and qualitative research approach. To carry out the study, two arterial roads were selected: one with a basic design and one with a design in line with current standards in Kigali. The road designs were audited using a checklist, and interviews were conducted with 30 residents living near the roads. While both roads have basic walking facilities (sidewalks, crosswalks, and streetlights), the upgraded road has more facilities including a planted strip that separate the carriageway from the sidewalk, a small planted median, traffic lights, speed cameras, and police surveillance. These elements were appreciated by residents as walking enablers. However, they also highlighted long crosswalk intervals and lack of speed-calming facilities at crosswalks, resulting in regular crossing at unregulated points and feelings of unsafety while crossing the road. In addition, lack of sidewalk amenities on both roads were identified as barriers to walking. While highlighting the car bias in road designs leading to walking barriers in Kigali, we recommend more research on this topic in other African cities, which have been described as “unwalkable” and a shift toward more inclusive road designs that not only facilitate movement for all population segments, but also serve as spaces for community life and local entrepreneurs.