Cities Invited to Join the Road Safety Cities Challenge to Accelerate Road Safety Innovations
Road traffic injuries continue to pose a major challenge for cities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where rapid urbanisation, growing motorised fleets and aging road infrastructure converge. According to global trends, vulnerable groups such as pedestrians and cyclists remain the most exposed in daily urban mobility. As cities work to respond to these pressures, many local governments are exploring ways to integrate innovation into road safety planning but face persistent institutional and financial barriers.
In this context, the Global Alliance of Cities for Road Safety (ACROS) and UN‑Habitat are launching the Road Safety Cities Challenge, an initiative that supports municipalities in identifying, testing and scaling road safety solutions developed through public–private partnerships (PPP). Beginning March 2026, cities will be invited to submit Expressions of Interest to join the first cohort of participating municipalities.
Creating an enabling environment for innovation
Although many cities are eager to adopt new tools that can reduce crashes and improve safety for all road users, traditional procurement systems are often not designed to work with emerging technologies or early‑stage innovations. Regulatory limitations, fragmented coordination, and insufficient access to financing further complicate this landscape. At the same time, local startup ecosystems are expanding rapidly, offering new approaches that are frequently out of reach for public institutions.
The Road Safety Cities Challenge aims to bridge this gap by creating a structured pathway for cities and innovators to co‑develop context‑appropriate solutions. Through the Challenge, selected municipalities will engage directly with private-sector partners and benefit from technical guidance, peer exchange and targeted financial support.
Support offered to participating cities
Cities selected through the Challenge will receive a tailored package of assistance that will include:
- Catalytic implementation funding of up to USD 40,000 for each city/pilot
- Establishment of Living Labs to test solutions in real urban conditions
- Capacity-building in innovation management, procurement, and regulatory processes
- Direct engagement with technical experts facilitated by UN‑Habitat
- Support to scale up successful pilots into municipal plans and budgets
- Opportunities to disseminate success and engage investors during a global, international events
Potential solutions may address key pillars of the Safe System Approach, including multimodal transport and land-use planning, safe road infrastructure, safe vehicles, safe road use and post-crash response.
Implementation timeline
Strengthening global commitments
The Road Safety Cities Challenge contributes to the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 and advances several Sustainable Development Goals related to health, safe and inclusive cities, innovation and climate-resilient mobility. By supporting cities to test and institutionalize new approaches, the initiative aims to create long‑term pathways for scaling effective solutions across regions.
Join the ACROS Network
Cities interested in participating are encouraged to join the ACROS Network to follow further announcements for detailed guidance and application procedures.