Tamale's Non-Motorized Transport

Contact: John Nuamah
Tamale Municipal Assembly

Ghana, Tamale's bicycle path system is now 60 kilometres long. The eventual target is 100 kilometres by 2005. The citizens of Tamale were involved in the transportation planning of this innovative program, which was the first of its kind in West Africa. It has since been replicated on a small scale in Accra, Ghana.

The town of Tamale, Ghana (pop. 150,000), began addressing non-motorized transport in 1990 when it began planning its bicycle path network.

As well as bike path mileage, Tamale has also integrated special signaling for bicycles at traffic light intersections, and zebra crossings. Most of Tamale's residents are already benefiting from this network; fully 80% of Tamale's residents own bicycles but very few own motor vehicles. In fact, 65% of trips in Tamale are made by bicycle, compared to only 15% by car.

The bicycle path network is also integrated with the town and with other transportation modes, such as lorries, which are used for long-distance travel, and taxis.

The project has been helped by the participation of some international non-profit organizations that have helped increase the already-high bike ownership in Tamale by integrating bicycle procurement into their development projects. Ghana's Building and Road Research Institute has cooperated with the Tamale government in the project.