How Paintbrushes, Coconuts, and Fewer Cars Can Help Create More Livable Pacific Cities

In March 2024, the streets around Saint John Bosco Primary School, in Tarawa, Kiribati, got a makeover thanks to student volunteers and community helpers. In just four hours, students, teachers, and local leaders came together to add a crosswalk, narrow the road at the crossing, clear away debris, paint colorful murals on the road, plant coconut trees, and put up no-parking signs, to make the streets safer. The results were impressive: Traffic speed slowed down from 34.7 to 19.7 km/h, and the share of cars stopping and waiting for students to safely cross the road jumped from 9 percent to 81 percent. This transformation not only made walking to school safer for the two-thirds of students who walk every day, it also made the area more beautiful. Inspired by this success, the government of Kiribati and the World Bank are using these ideas to design safer, more vibrant streets on Kiritimati Island.

The makeover and its impacts illustrate a wider problem and a considerable opportunity across urban areas in Pacific Island Countries that a new World Bank initiative seeks to act on. To address the challenges of increasing traffic congestion and a decline in the quality of public space and provide Pacific Island Countries with practical recommendations, the World Bank, supported by the Global Facility to Decarbonize Transport (GFDT), created the Guide to Mobility for Livable Pacific Cities, which outlines how Pacific cities could transition to a car-lite future. The guide emerged from a comprehensive two-year study that included interactive workshops attended by Leaders in Urban Transport Planning (LUTP) in Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tonga where participants from government, local businesses, nongovernment organizations, and the community discussed rising car dependency and supported a new approach. Community involvement was critical. As one local participant noted, "This initiative has strong local backing and is not just a World Bank perspective; it reflects our community's commitment to addressing these challenges."

The guide outlines three "game-changing goals" and nine "synergetic strategies" to achieve a car-lite future. The goals are creating livable streets for people, promoting public transit, and managing private vehicle ownership and use. Figure 1 shows the nine strategies.

The Car Dependency Feedback Loop

Cars are valued for their convenience, status, and practicality, especially among Pacific Islanders returning from abroad with savings, who frequently invest in a vehicle. In Fiji, private vehicle registrations grew by 254 percent between 2014 and 2022 and are currently increasing at 4 percent per year ¹. Similar trends can be seen in other countries across the Pacific.

Unless policy makers prioritize alternative modes of transport, cars could become the main transport mode even for short trips, leading to a feedback loop of car dependency (figure 2) ².When urban planning favors car dependency, streets become less safe and welcoming for other transport modes. Prioritizing cars increases congestion, which typically prompts decision makers to invest more in roads to accommodate more vehicles instead of diversifying transport options. As car use grows, it deters alternative mobility options and reinforces the centrality of the private vehicle, a trend that is hard to reverse. "Without taking action, Pacific cities will fall into a car dependency feedback loop, where car dependency is strengthened over time," says Sam Johnson, a World Bank Sustainable Transport Specialist.

Benefits of a Car-Lite Future in Pacific Cities

Almost 300 people a year die in road crashes across the Pacific-about a third of them pedestrians, including children and seniors ³⁴. Transitioning to a car-lite future can reduce crashes and save lives.

Reducing car dependency also improves health in the community, by lowering pollution and promoting active lifestyles. Traffic-related air pollution is linked to serious health issues. Walking or biking can also reduce the risks of obesity-related diseases-an important benefit in a part of the world where obesity rates are high.

Moving to a car-lite model can also improve the living environment, as communities repurpose space once devoted to garages, junkyards, and parking lots for housing, green areas, schools, and healthcare facilities.

A Paradigm Shift: Shifting Away from Cars in Pacific Cities

Pacific cities are in an excellent position to restructure urban planning to shift away from cars. A large proportion of Pacific city residents live within a three-kilometer radius of the city center, meaning that the city center can be reached from the perimeter by bicycle or public transport in 15 minutes or less. Indeed, 89 percent of the population in Port Villa, Vanuatu; 83 percent in Nuku'alofa, Tonga; 76 percent in Apia, Samoa; 65 percent in Honiara, Solomon Islands; and 64 percent of Suva, Fiji live close enough to bike or take public transport rather than drive within the city⁵. These cities also have climates and land uses surrounding them that support walking, biking, and using public transit.

Untapped opportunities exist for Pacific Island Countries to reduce reliance on car travel by creating conditions that promote and maintain a larger mode share of healthier and more environmentally friendly transportation choices. Rather than prioritize cars, the new paradigm would prioritize walking, biking, e-mobility, and public transportation (figure 3) ⁶.

The Road Ahead

The road to a car-lite future is paved with possibilities. By embracing sustainable mobility and prioritizing people-first transport options, the World Bank aims to work with Pacific Islanders to transform urban spaces into lively, safe, and welcoming environments for everyone.

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