Framing Social Inclusion as a Benchmark for Cycling-Inclusive Transport Policy in Kisumu, Kenya

Abstract

Cycling in many cities of the Global South faces unending exclusion from street spaces despite the on-going transport policy reforms. This exclusion worsens the marginalisation of the poor majority who use this mode. In this paper, we formulate social inclusion as a policy tool for reconciling transport policy to the cycling needs of Kisumu, Kenya. We draw from social quality theory and Lefebvre's right to the city concept to assemble the ideals of social inclusion. These ideals form the benchmark for a qualitative content analysis of the policy pronouncements contained in the Kenya Vision 2030 and the Integrated National Transport Policy to ascertain the opportunities presented by these policies for cycling inclusion. Findings from interviews held with transport professionals in government and private practice support this content analysis. Results show that while the Kenya Vision 2030 focuses on economic growth, the Government has prioritised the implementation of its projects, thus diminishing the fragile opportunity for cycling inclusion presented by the transport policy. To consolidate this opportunity, we propose different policy recommendations to improve the terms for cyclists to claim and produce street spaces.

Analysis of Sustainable Transport for Smart Cities

“…Just like in most of the developing countries, a reliable means of transport is considered to be one of the core factors in economic development in Kenya. According to Alando and Scheiner [62] cycling in most cities in African countries including Kenya faces unending exclusion, especially from Despite their cultural background, women in central Uganda, especially Kampala, Wakiso and Entebbe, cycle but at a lower level [60]. For example, New Vision [60] reported that one of the female lecturers at Makerere University has inspired most women to cycle in one way or another.…”

“…Just like in most of the developing countries, a reliable means of transport is considered to be one of the core factors in economic development in Kenya. According to Alando and Scheiner [62] cycling in most cities in African countries including Kenya faces unending exclusion, especially from the street spaces. Much as cycling is one of the cheapest transport means in East African countries, there is still limited infrastructure that supports cycling in the country.…”

“…Much as cycling is one of the cheapest transport means in East African countries, there is still limited infrastructure that supports cycling in the country. Besides general challenges, women in Kenya still experience exclusion when it comes to the transport sector [62]. In fact, few women cycle as many are limited by cultural beliefs that women are not supposed to ride bicycles.…”

Transport Policy and Social Inclusion

“…While the majority have a European focus, with four papers addressing transport and social inclusion in UK (Clark & Curl, 2016;Marshall et al, 2016;Pooley, 2016;Velho, Holloway, Symonds, & Balmer, 2016), one in Sweden (Lättman, Friman, & Olsson, 2016) and one in France (Purwanto, 2016), three explore different elements of the African (Alando & Scheiner, 2016;Kett & Deluca, 2016) and Asian (Thynell, 2016) contexts. From a methodological perspective, the papers present a variety of approaches (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods and a computer software simulation) drawn from a wide range of disciplinary areas, including sociology, history, gender and development studies, economics, science and technology studies, accessibility planning, engineering and transport studies.…”

“…Both of these papers are based on research studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, where non-motorised transport is prevalent and absolute poverty is widespread. Alando and Scheiner (2016) report that, in these countries, the most vulnerable women, children, older and disabled people are often prevented from making journeys because of poor road conditions, unaffordability, lack of private transport, and poor and/or unreliable public transport. This is a major cause of social exclusion.…”