Sustainable transport saves lives. Photo by Meena Kadri.

EMBARQ promotes mass transit, cycling, walking, clean fuels and vehicles, and vibrant public spaces because these solutions improve public health. They lead to safer streets, cleaner air, reduced carbon emissions, physically active citizens, and social inclusion. This year, EMBARQ’s holistic approach gained significant support from international institutions, funders and industry leaders.

EMBARQ was awarded a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of the Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program. It also formed official partnerships with two high-level international health organizations: the Pan American Health Organization and the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration.

At the project level, EMBARQ completed road safety audits to improve the design of BRT corridors in Izmit, Turkey; Mexico City, Mexico; and Arequipa, Peru, where EMBARQ’s road safety recommendations are expected to reduce injuries and fatalities by as much as 46 percent. EMBARQ also measured traffic accidents, air pollution and physical activity levels in Arequipa. These same “baselines" will be repeated after the city implements its new transit system in order to reveal positive health impacts. EMBARQ is also collecting data on safety along five existing BRT corridors to complete the first-ever BRT corridor safety guidelines.

Did You Know?

The World Health Organization projects that traffic injuries will be the fifth leading cause of death by 2030. As it stands now, the most vulnerable users—pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists—account for 46% of global road traffic deaths. In March 2010, the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed 2011-2020 as the “Decade of Action for Road Safety.”

Photo by Kris.

EMBARQ's Approach to Health and Road Safety