25 February | The International Road Federation’s Circle of Excellence webinar series continued last week with a session on Ensuring Safe, Inclusive and People-Centred Mobility for All, highlighting practical initiatives that improve safety and access while responding to real mobility needs.

The webinar brought together transport and mobility experts to explore how mobility systems can better serve people and communities. Speakers emphasised that roads are not neutral infrastructure; they shape access to education, healthcare, markets and employment.

Yet major gaps persist worldwide, particularly in rural areas and among vulnerable road users. The session demonstrated how aligning regulation, infrastructure design, enforcement and technology around human behaviour can significantly reduce road trauma and expand opportunity.

Connecting Communities Through Rural Mobility

Rudy Alejandro Herrera Mármol of Guatemala’s Secretaría Privada de la Presidencia presented the Routes to Development programme, a national initiative designed to reduce poverty by improving rural accessibility. The programme identifies communities most affected by poverty and prioritises investments that connect isolated communities to essential services and economic opportunities.

Rather than measuring success purely through engineering outputs, the initiative focuses on improved access which enables people to reach schools, healthcare facilities and markets more easily. Early implementation has shown that improved connectivity is already changing expectations in rural communities, with residents reporting greater confidence in education and economic prospects. 

Abbie Noriega of FIKA (formerly Bridges to Prosperity) reinforced the importance of rural connectivity through evidence-based research. FIKA’s recent longitudinal randomised control trial in Rwanda examined the socioeconomic impact of rural transport infrastructure across nearly 300 villages. The study found that pedestrian bridges delivered an annual economic rate of return alongside measurable improvements in food security, income, school enrolment and wellbeing. 

FIKA’s efforts demonstrated that relatively small infrastructure investments can serve tens of thousands of people and generate substantial economic and social benefits. However, translating evidence into policy remains a challenge, as rural transport investments are often undervalued compared with urban infrastructure despite their high impact. 

Expanding Inclusion in the Transport Workforce

Petra Buchner of Holcim presented the Women on Wheels programme, which addresses both workforce shortages and gender inequality by training women as professional truck drivers. Since its launch, the programme has expanded to 36 countries and has supported close to 1,000 female drivers.

Beyond its social objectives, the initiative has demonstrated measurable operational benefits. Data from multiple countries indicate that female drivers achieve strong safety performance, lower fuel consumption and improved operational efficiency. The programme also includes practical measures such as appropriate facilities, flexible working conditions and targeted training to ensure safety and retention. 

Experience from the programme shows that one of the main barriers to workforce inclusion is not capability but awareness highlighting the importance of changing industry mindsets alongside implementing technical solutions. 

Using Technology to Influence Safer Behaviour

Luo Huanzhong of Huawei presented an intelligent transport system deployment in Oman that uses artificial intelligence and connected infrastructure to improve road safety. The system combines computer vision, automated licence plate recognition and data analytics to detect unsafe driving behaviours such as distracted driving and seatbelt violations.

The project achieved high detection accuracy and enabled enforcement in areas with limited connectivity through solar-powered monitoring infrastructure.

The project demonstrated how digital technologies can support more consistent enforcement and provide authorities with real-time information to guide safety interventions.

Protecting Young Road Users

The session also featured contributions from IRF Members Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) and YOURS – Youth for Road Safety. Emily Carr and Sana’ Khasawneh presented initiatives focused on protecting young road users through a combination of innovation and policy engagement.

Their work highlighted the disproportionate risks faced by youth on the road and emphasised the importance of integrating young people into road safety decision-making processes. Programmes presented during the session demonstrated how targeted advocacy, education and policy reforms can help create safer mobility environments for younger generations.

A People-Centred Approach to Road Safety

Across the different projects presented, a consistent message emerged: effective mobility systems must be designed around people rather than infrastructure alone.

Improving rural accessibility, strengthening workforce inclusion, applying intelligent technologies and protecting vulnerable users all contribute to safer and more equitable transport systems. When planning, regulation, enforcement and technology are aligned with real travel behaviour, road networks become more effective at reducing risk and supporting economic and social development.

The Circle of Excellence webinar illustrated that people-centred mobility is not a single intervention but a coordinated approach that connects infrastructure, policy and innovation to deliver lasting impact.