Active Travel
Urban transport consumes 40% of total transport energy. It is estimated that 50bn tonnes of CO2 will be emitted by urban transport in the next 30 years if current motorisation trends are not reversed. However, many countries across the world, including most EASST partner countries, are still undergoing rapid motorization and construction of new high-speed roads, which is only exacerbating the problem.
One of the quickest and most effective ways of decreasing emissions from motorized transport and reducing the reliance on fuel is to “invite people back to the streets” by improving access to more sustainable modes of travel – including public transport, walking and cycling.
Supporting communities to move away from a reliance on car travel not only brings environmental benefits. It also promotes social equity and reduces exposure to road risk more widely.
In 2023, the 7th UN Global Road Safety Week called on governments and stakeholders to #RethinkMobility – focusing on the need to shift to alternative modes of transport and highlighting that “road safety is both a prerequisite for and an outcome of this shift.”
Across the EASST region, reducing speed limits to 30km/h is an essential first step for many countries ‘rethinking mobility’ in terms of a shift away from car dominance towards prioritising the safety of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
Reclaiming Space for Walking and Cycling in Central Asia
With the support of the FIA Road Safety Grant Programme and in collaboration with Global Youth Coalition on Road Safety we have been implementing a long-term project since 2020 to reclaim space for walking and cycling in Central Asia. The initiative aims to mobilise young people across Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in advocating for a shift away from motorised travel towards zero-carbon active mobility and giving youth a voice when it comes to planning and decision making around sustainable urban mobility.
Active Travel News
EASST welcomes the launch of the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport and looks forward to supporting its ambitious goals for safer, more sustainable mobility worldwide.
The Automobile Club of Moldova has partnered with the National Youth Agency and the Ministry of Education and Research of Moldova to launch a new training module and awareness campaign aimed at building youth engagement in road safety.
12-18 May 2025 marked the eighth UN Global Road Safety Week. The theme for this year focused on the pedestrian and cyclist safety noting that despite overall reductions in road casualties globally – deaths and serious injuries amongst vulnerable road users are increasing in almost every world region, including across EASST partner countries.
EASST and our local partners the National Automobile and Motorcycle Federation of Uzbekistan (NAFKU) are continuing efforts to improve road safety for bike couriers across Uzbek cities.
Earlier this year, we completed Tajikistan’s first ever Tactical Urbanism project with the support of the FIA Road Safety Grant Programme.
Bike couriers from Uzum Tezkor received road safety and first aid training as part of our collaboration with the FIA and NAFKU.
EASST has entered a new partnership with NAFKU and Uzum delivery company to provide road safety training to bike couriers in Uzbekistan.
EASST joins forces with the National Automobile Club of Azerbaijan (AMAK) and the Global Youth Coalition on Road Safety to organise a workshop for students of the ADA University in Baku looking at the links between road safety, youth, and the COP29 agenda.
A new road safety training program for bike couriers has been launched today at the FIA Extraordinary General Meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
EASST and FIA Foundation meet with representatives of the Tbilisi Transport and Urban Development Agency to witness the impressive work being done in the city to improve road safety, particularly around school zones.