Cycling in sub-Saharan African cities: Differences and similarities with developed world cities

Abstract

Cycling is a vital transport mode for many of the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities given the limited transport options that exist. Despite its enormous commuting importance in SSA cities, little scientific research has attempted to identify key factors influencing cycling adoption, and most existing cycling promotional initiatives are often not contextualised to the African cities. To underpin appropriate incentives to promote bicycle commuting, this study conducts a literature review to identify key determinants of bicycle use in SSA cities. Moreover, it identifies key differences and similarities with cycling studies from the developed world cities (DWC). A survey of relevant literature was conducted through the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and Google scholar. This allowed gathering 61 relevant empirical study materials that helped to identify main factors influencing cycling in both SSA and DWC urban contexts, based on the socio-economic, built-environment, weather conditions and environmental and attitudinal factors. The results found that the vast list of factors influencing cycling, such as gender, education level, income, street signage, road encroachment, weather change, travel distance, the opportunity for flexible jobs and image prestige present a deep difference between studies in the two urban contexts. Street lighting, rain and tree cover present more consensual understanding among researchers in both urban contexts. This study reinforces that knowledge on cycling and its promotional initiatives should not be generalized, but rather be focused on the contextual setting of a particular city. In review of the past studies the limitation observed is that some specific characteristics of cycling in SSA cities such as the use of bicycle for commercial purpose is not covered in most cycling literature from the DWC. Given the observed contextual differences between cities from SSA and DWC, the study suggests the need for further research in quantifying and comparing the strength of the similarities and differences in cycling behaviour influences.