By KT Reporter
Bloomberg Philanthropies, a global NGO that promotes road safety, has announced eight winners of the first-ever Initiative for Global Road Safety Speed Challenge, with Uganda among those awarded for contributions to national road safety regulations.
Kampala was recognised for, among others, implementing a 30 km/h speed limit for both school zones and urban roads in the city, and installing raised pedestrian crossings near 20 schools.
From June 2023 to March 2025, cities and states within the Initiative were called on to adopt the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended speed limits – under 50 kilometers per hour (km/h) in urban areas and under 30 km/h in high-risk zones, such as around schools and hospitals – and implement a range of strategies to reduce dangerous speeding. Winners will receive $50,000 to $100,000 to further advance their efforts in preventing and reducing speed-related road crash injuries and fatalities.
The World Bank estimates that speeding claims the lives of 600,000 people each year, half of the world’s 1.19 million traffic-related deaths. Higher speeds increase the probability of serious injury and death during a crash, according to the World Health Organisation.
“Speeding kills 1,600 people every day. In fact, it’s a leading cause of preventable injuries and deaths worldwide,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and the 108th mayor of New York City.
“For nearly two decades, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety has worked with our partners to save lives in countries around the world. Now, through the Speed Challenge, we’re shining a spotlight on the most effective actions of winning cities – and the urgent need for more to follow their lead.”
In addition to adopting WHO-recommended speed limits, the winning cities successfully implemented strategies to reduce speeding, including redesigning city streets to reduce speeds with elements like speed humps and raised pedestrian crossings, enhancing enforcement, and airing media campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding and build public support for reducing speed-related crashes.
To sustain momentum around their road safety efforts, gold winners will receive $100,000, silver winners will receive $75,000, and bronze winners will receive $50,000.
The winners in the Gold Category were Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Bogota, Colombia, which were recognised for adopting best practices for urban speed limits, installing parabolic speed humps, which were previously not authorised in 50 km/h corridors, as well as sustaining police speed enforcement. These efforts, according to a statement by Bloomberg, resulted in zero fatalities in the first six months of implementation, an 82% decrease in injuries to vulnerable road users, and led to 60% fewer vehicles exceeding speed limits in school zones.
In the Silver category are Bengaluru in India, Buenos Aires in Argentina and Guadalajara, Mexico. Kampala was in the Bronze category together with Mombasa, Kenya and Quito, Ecuador.
Quito was specifically recognised for the development of the city’s first Road Safety Ordinance, which focuses on data-driven enforcement, a citywide safety plan, and a specialised road safety unit, as well as enhanced speed enforcement through portable cameras, leading to a 32% reduction in traffic fatalities during the enforcement campaign.
Generally, Bloomberg does work in the area of strengthening national legislation, enhancing data collection and surveillance, changing road user behaviour, improving road infrastructure and upgrading vehicle safety.
Since 2007, the Initiative has supported the implementation of evidence-based road safety interventions in more than 50 cities and provinces, advocating for stronger national road safety policies in 21 countries, and improving vehicle safety standards in four regional markets
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