Introduction 

Douala, as Cameroon’s economic capital, alone generates more than 20% of the country’s income and taxes revenue. Mobility in this area is a real and permanent challenge to be met on a daily basis by the authorities, because mobility and freedom are inherent to human nature and economic activities, as stated in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The complexity of transport systems also witnesses the natural and growing need of integrating different parts of the world regarding the effect of wealth accumulation. The city of Douala, which hosts a large flow of human activity, must therefore face the challenges of urban mobility, which involves a combination of several social factors.

The challenges of urban mobility in Douala

Developing an effective sustainable mobility policy in Douala is very complex in several respects. First of all, it is a challenge which must be met in order to improve the quality of daily movements for Douala’s population, by making it more respectful of the environment.

It’s also a challenge because introducing a sustainable mobility policy means getting people to accept the measures that are being taken in this direction, in a city where attitudes on roads are difficult to change. The explanation is that these habits have been established over time. The use of the car is an old habit of our society, even for short distances (less than 1 kilometre). For many people, having a car is still a sign of freedom, prestige and social success. As a result, the measures taken to limit car use in towns and cities, to slow down traffic speeds or to make the roads safer for other road users, are often perceived as restrictive, unfair or even a disability for freedom, and can irritate motorists.

Besides, mobility is a cross-cutting issue, and the challenge of human health also needs to be addressed because air pollution is responsible for acute respiratory infections. So sustainable mobility policies need to be set step by step, to change people’s habits.

Tips for improving urban mobility in Douala

• Learning to collaborate: As we have noticed, there are many initiatives which have been developed around sustainable mobility. And these various experiences can provide other social groups with inspiration and technical advice for their implementation. In fact, some social groups have acquired real knowledge and an important level of technique, so it is necessary to cooperate in order to benefit from those knowledge and good practices.

• Encourage a global approach: Sustainable mobility should be seen not as a specific domain, but as a cross-cutting policy at the centre of various specialities. Then, integrating spatial planning, urban planning, housing and environmental policies into mobility policies is relevant. These policies are complementary and have impacts on one another. Of course, as part of this overall approach, all modes of transport must be taken into account and considered for their own sake, rather than simply as alternatives to the car that would be used only occasionally. We need a policy that not only looks for short-term solutions but also focuses on the causes of the development and frequency of movements.

• Take into account the specific nature of each area: each area has its own particularities. Diagnostics must therefore be carried out to know the area, its characteristics, and its context, in order to understand it and therefore find the solutions that will suit it.

• Carry out evaluations: It is important that the policies set are monitored and evaluated, in particular, to determine whether they are effective, or whether they need to be adapted, or even abandoned if they fail.

• Think about combining solutions for greater effectiveness: if the policies are complementary, so must the resulting measures. For example, if cycle paths and lanes are created, it is worth proposing places where people can park their bikes safely, rethink the way lanes are shared, priorities, or even cars’ speed.
• Informing the public, communicating: it is not uncommon for local residents to be unaware of all the transport options available.

Conclusion 

So far, the number of daily movements, whether to go to work, to school or to do our shopping, has continued to grow. It’s not just the number of daily movements that has increased, but also the distance covered. In addition to this, the majority of daily movements are made by car. Getting around is a citizen’s right, but without a framework, it poses a number of problems that are real challenges for the authorities. To succeed in this challenge, it requires consultation, determination, a civic spirit, taking into account the specific characteristics of each population, and above all, mass communication to reach a real change of behaviour.