Towards a green economy

African region

Region of the Americas

South-East Asia region

Eastern Mediterranean region

European region

LIC MIC

LIC MIC

LIC MIC

LIC MIC HIC

LIC MIC HIC

Western Pacific region

LIC MIC HIC

0 20 Vulnerable road users 40 60 80 Occupants of four wheeled motorised vehicles LIC = low-income countries; MIC = middle-income countries; HIC = high-income countries

Figure 4: Reported deaths by type of road user, region and income group Source: WHO (2009a)

Box 3: Benefits of cleaner fuels in sub-Saharan Africa

A recent modelling study by Inner City Fund International for the World Bank and the African Refiners Association looked at the costs and benefits of investing in refineries in sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) to improve the quality of their produced fuels. It found that by reducing the sulphur content of fuels used for transport, a significant amount of health costs could be saved (US$ 640 million per year in West SSA, US$ 340 million per year in East SSA). These benefits were amplified by many-fold when coupled with policies to improve emission controls, particularly for motorcycles. Source: ICF International (2009)

countries and 2 per cent of GDP in high-income countries, as shown in the table below (Jacobs et al. 2000). For example, reducing accidents requires a systematic approach incorporating elements of better infrastructure, vehicle inspection and education to control speed and alcohol consumption.

Congestion Congestion is caused when the volume of traffic reaches the capacity of infrastructure. It is particularly common in urban areas, where it can severely limit the positive effects of agglomeration (see Cities Chapter). Travel times for public transport users, as well as pedestrians and cyclists, frequently increase if dedicated infrastructure is not provided. Congestion also increases fuel consumption and the level of pollution, as fuel is still consumed whilst cars are stationary.

According to Texas Transport Institute, congestion costs are increasing.

of the United States were estimated at US$ 24 billion 386 Congestion costs in 439 urban areas Others 100 Per cent