The second episode of the International Road Federation (IRF) Young Professional Talks Series, held on 28 June 2024, focused on best practices and advocacy in road safety and active mobility. Themed “Next Generation on The Move: Integrating Road Safety and Active Mobility for Better Health,” this in-depth discussion highlighted key strategies for improving public health.

The webinar, conducted in partnership with the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety and Youth for Road Safety (YOURS), featured an enriching discussion on the dynamic relationship between road safety and active mobility. One of the key points highlighted was the impact of a sedentary lifestyle, which can be mitigated by active travel such as walking and cycling. However, this also brought to light the current challenges in creating a safe environment for pedestrians and cyclists that need to be addressed. Stephen Kome, a Sustainable Development Goal champion of The Coalition, emphasised the health costs of physical inactivity, including the development of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Laura Daniela Gomez, Capacity Development Manager at YOURS, highlighted the well-known yet often unaddressed car-centric approach to infrastructure development, which hampers the potential for walking and cycling due to the lack of safe walkways and cycleways. Gomez also shared Colombia’s best practice of having a Local Bicycle Board in its capital, Bogota, which oversees actions towards improving cycling conditions.

Lastly, Paola Becerra, winner of the Local Actions Award from the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, led a project in Mérida, Mexico. She established meeting spaces, mapped tactical urbanism initiatives, and conducted cyclist counts. This project underscored the practical challenges and opportunities in promoting active mobility.

The session, moderated by Tendekayi Marapara and Shashank Misra from the leadership team of the IRF Young Professionals Programme, aimed to generate momentum for the forthcoming IRF Young Professionals Summit. This event will be held face-to-face for the first time, taking place as part of the upcoming IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey, from 15-18 October 2024.