Demo project deep-dive: A Walkability Success Story from Kumasi, Ghana
- hebamousa0
- Aug 20
- 2 min read
Streets in Kumasi, Ghana, are the bustling stage for daily lives, from children heading to school to traders and families navigating markets. However, this vibrant city is facing an increasing road safety issues that affect pedestrians the most. The Trans-Safe project is piloting interventions to increase road safety on a systemic level in the city.
The Yaa Asantewa Road witnessed 86 crashes between 2020 and 2022, with pedestrians accounting for over 40% of victims. Cars routinely exceeded the 50 km/h speed limit, with more than a quarter reaching speeds above 70 km/h. Sidewalks were narrow, crossings faded, and people often had no choice but to walk in the road itself.
A Collaborative Intervention
The Trans-Safe project partners, Walk21 and Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), teamed up to implement and test simple but effective interventions. Using the Walkability App, trained student researchers gathered firsthand experiences from over 1,000 pedestrians before and after changes were made.
The interventions included:
Construction of two raised pedestrian crossings
New road markings and signs (speed limits, school zones, warnings)
Installation of rumble strips to slow vehicles before crossings
Small-scale interventions to improve road safety on the Yaa Asantewa Road
Walking Transformed
The results were striking. Before the interventions, nearly 60% of walking experiences were negative, with pedestrians reporting discomfort, danger, and frustration. After the upgrades, the picture flipped:
Positive experiences more than doubled, rising from 19% to nearly 49%
Reports of feeling unsafe dropped by 48 percentage points
Walking comfort rose sharply, with comfortable experiences increasing from 11% to 50%
Enjoyment of walking soared, with 74% describing their experience as enjoyable or very enjoyable.
The positive impacts of the street interventions on improving walkability
The Walkability App measured an overall improvement from 39.2 to 59.6 out of 100, showing clear gains in safety, comfort, and enjoyment. To know more about the positive transformation of the walkability experience along the Yaa Asantewa Road, download the intervention assessment report here.
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