Travel Behaviour and Barriers to Active Travel among Adults in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Lambed Tatah, Yves Wasnyo, Matthew Pearce, Tolu Oni, Louise Foley, Ebele Mogo, Charles Obonyo, Jean Claude Mbanya, James Woodcock and Felix Assah
Additional contact information
Lambed Tatah: MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SL, UK
Yves Wasnyo: Health of Populations in Transition (HoPiT) Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé P.O. Box 8046, Cameroon
Matthew Pearce: MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SL, UK
Tolu Oni: MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SL, UK
Louise Foley: MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SL, UK
Ebele Mogo: MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SL, UK
Charles Obonyo: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kisumu 40100, Kenya
Jean Claude Mbanya: Health of Populations in Transition (HoPiT) Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé P.O. Box 8046, Cameroon
James Woodcock: MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SL, UK
Felix Assah: Health of Populations in Transition (HoPiT) Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé P.O. Box 8046, Cameroon

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: The literature on urban travel behaviour in Africa is sparse, limiting our understanding of how urban transport policies respond to human and planetary needs. We conducted a cross-sectional household telephone survey on 1334 participants, using a 24 h time-use diary, to investigate travel behaviour and barriers to active travel (walking and cycling) in Yaoundé, Cameroon. We found that two-thirds of all participants reported at least one trip; the median (IQR) numbers of trips per capita and per participant with trips were 2 (0–3) and 2 (2–3), respectively. The main trip modes were shared taxi (46%), walking (27%), private cars (11%), and motorcycle taxis (10%), with 25%, 56%, and 45% of all participants reporting the use of active, motorised, and public transport, respectively. The mean (IQR) trip duration was 48 (30–60) min; for participants who reported trips, the daily overall and active travel durations were 121 (60–150) and 28 (0–45) min, respectively. Women were less likely to travel, making fewer and shorter trips when they did. Participants in less wealthy households were more likely to travel. The primary barriers to both walking and cycling were the fear of road traffic injuries and the inconvenience of active travel modes. Therefore, local urban transport authorities need to improve the safety and convenience of active mobility and promote gender equity in transport. Restrictions to movements during the COVID-19 pandemic and the relatively small survey sample might have biased our results; thus, a representative travel survey could improve current estimates. More generally, high-quality research on travel behaviours and their correlates is needed in low-resource settings.

Keywords: travel behaviour; active travel; time use; urban mobility; Cameroon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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