According to the World Health Organization, over a million road traffic deaths now occur globally every year, with a large number of them being pedestrians in cities. One of the objectives of honoring days like World Pedestrian Day is to advocate for urban road safety and walkability in a holistic way — better road conditions for pedestrians and cyclists promote more equitable access for everyone, including motorists. After all, everyone is a pedestrian of some form or another when moving around city environments. 

At ITDP, we have long recognized that walkability (or the lack thereof) is complex issue that has significant social, health, and safety implications for all neighborhoods, particularly ones that have traditionally been built around road transport instead of people. We know that streets that are made more welcoming and protective of pedestrians ultimately contributes to a wide range of positive outcomes, including improved physical and mental health, cleaner environments, and stronger economies.

For neighborhoods to be more equitable, inclusive, and resilient – both physically and socially – cities need to start with a focus on connected pedestrian and cycling infrastructure that integrates well with public transit systems. We know that only by prioritizing public transport and active mobility over private vehicle use and highway development can we reduce harmful emissions and make cities safer and easier to access for all. For that to happen, however, cities need more comprehensive systems in place that allow walkability to complement and encourage public transport ridership (and vice versa) between their essential destinations.

Walking and Public Transport in Tandem

Walking, public transit, and cycling networks all depend on each other to serve urban mobility needs. An investment in one of these elements of sustainable transport will benefit the others, but all three are necessary for an equitable and accessible city. Public transit – whether trains, trams, or buses – relies on well-designed pedestrian connections. Even the fastest, highest-capacity bus systems cannot serve an optimal number of people if their hubs or stations are not in dense, walkable, and transit-oriented neighborhoods. Each transit trip starts and ends with a walking trip, so an investment in walkability in the communities near transit stations is also an investment in the mobility overall.

At the same time, few urban residents can access every destination within a short walk – most cities are just too big. For people to efficiently and safely access jobs, services, family, or specific amenities in other areas, they need public transport to get them there. Public transport turns a collection of walkable neighborhoods into a single walkable city. Low-income and vulnerable communities are often the most reliant on transit, although the most marginalized are often unable to afford it. While wealthier residents often live in walkable and central neighborhoods, the disadvantaged are often pushed to the urban fringes. To access services and employment, they need the support of public transport and pedestrian infrastructure that can reliably and quickly connect them to other places and mobility modes.

Research further supports the importance of these linkages – according to a study conducted in a dozen cities between 2016 and 2022, an average of 91% of people using public transport walk from their starting point to a station or stop, and 98% walk from public transport to their destination. Another US-focused study from the Federal Highway Administration shows similar levels of walking in American cities, with 80% of public transport users reporting needing to walk to and from public transport. Briefs from advocacy organizations like Walk21 indicate that enhancing the quality of local streets and walking environments significantly affect how people perceive their distance to public transport, with potential for nearly a 70% increase in acceptance and approval.

Around the world, in Brazil, ITDP has also conducted studies into the many equity implications for public transport systems that are not made accessible by walking or cycling, spotlighting the many ways in which these systems disadvantage low-income, minority communities in particular. In India, national programs supported by ITDP following the pandemic have highlighted the potential for hundreds of small and large cities to implement low-cost and engaging street interventions that vastly improve walking access to public transit and other modes. Having comprehensive connections between transit, walking, cycling, or micromobility, alongside intuitive complete street infrastructure, is the key to reducing unnecessary driving trips, reducing vehicle speeds, and saving lives. 

This is, ultimately, the ideal that underpins World Pedestrian Day – to call attention to all that still needs to be done to protect and support walkable, cyclable streets. In many cities, walking and public transport are still often considered and planned separately from each other, which greatly reduces the complementary benefits of both types of mobility networks. Governments and decision-makers need to recognize that improving road safety and preventing traffic-related fatalities depends on urban infrastructure and policies that bolster all types of mobility options, not just private vehicles.

Cities need more investment and community engagement around active mobility and public transport systems that offer opportunities for affordable, connected, and low-emission trips that close the gap between essential destinations. Accessible and easily walkable connection to and from buses, trains, or bike docks create more vibrant, engaging neighborhoods when designed with all users and abilities in mind. This is especially relevant and necessary when public spaces respond to the specific needs and concerns of people with reduced mobility, children, the elderly and women.  

How to Move Forward

More research is needed to understand which types and conditions of improvements can make the most impact on people’s walking experiences and public transport options, especially when it comes to diverse populations and urban contexts. Cities also need to have better community input and evidence on the types of approaches that encourage more active mobility and public transport usage, as well as strategies for developing more compact, mixed-use neighborhoods overall. Accomplishing this will require much more transparent, robust data from global sources on walking and public transport across the national, regional, and city levels.

Comprehensive and accurate data on transport access and design can provide the quantitative evidence needed to support more investments into sustainable urban mobility. To this end, ITDP’s teams have produced innovative digital tools like the Atlas of Sustainable City Transport, MobiliDADOS in Brazil, and the Urban Accessibility Visualizer in Mexico in order to advance data gathering, analysis, and knowledge-sharing amongst policymakers and practitioners all around the world. Rethinking and reforming our current ‘car culture‘ and the status quo of urban mobility is only possible through urgent and collective action – the lives of millions depend on it.