Canada is falling to the back of the pack when it comes to policies aimed at protecting vulnerable road users, according to a new report released by the World Health Organization.

While 77 per cent of United Nations countries carry out safety audits to ensure the safety of road infrastructure projects for cyclists and pedestrians, Canada does not, and is contributing to a concerning trend of countries promoting alternative forms of transportation without ensuring their safety, according to the Global Status Report on Road Safety.

While studies have consistently shown what types of walking and cycling infrastructure are needed to improve road safety, including safe routes and crossings for pedestrians, slower traffic speeds, and dedicated cycling lanes, policies are not in place to ensure that these are incorporated into road infrastructure projects, according to the report.

Eleanor McMahon, founder of Ontario’s Share the Road Cycling Coalition, says she’s not surprised that Canada is falling behind, as all too often the debate over road infrastructure in Canada becomes less about safety and more about playing politics.

This is a familiar refrain to Toronto drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, where “war on the car” rhetoric seems to rear its head every time a new road construction or reconstruction project reignites the battle for a slice of the street. “We shouldn’t be having this conversation about cycling infrastructure as if cyclists were a special interest group. They are not a special interest group; they are everyday people getting from point A to point B . . . and all of these deaths are preventable,” McMahon says.

The good news is that overall road deaths around the world are down slightly, to 1.24 million per year from 1.3 million per year since the previous Global Status Report on Road Safety in 2009. Canada mirrors this trend, with overall annual road deaths falling to 2,227 from 2,889.

However, 27 per cent of global road traffic deaths are among pedestrians and cyclists, which has Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, concerned: “To date, these road users have been neglected in transport and planning policy. The world must now increase its focus on making walking and cycling safer, and protecting these road users from high-speed traffic.”

One of the three key recommendations emerging from the report is that concerted effort is needed to make road infrastructure safer for pedestrians and cyclists, by taking the needs of these road users into account earlier, when road safety, policy, transport planning and land use decisions are made. The report places a particular emphasis on the conduct of formal audits of new and existing road infrastructure projects — by independent assessors not involved in the planning or construction — to minimize crash risk and the potential consequences for all road users. Such audits can produce important safety gains for all, according to the report.

McMahon says she’s not aware of any consistent policies that exist at the national, provincial or municipal level in Canada that require such safety audits or assessments of road construction projects.

“As someone who lost their life partner to a cycling accident, safety is absolutely paramount to me,” she says, “but we need a carrot and stick approach. Dedicated infrastructure funding and political will are also essential.” McMahon’s husband, OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart, was killed in 2006 while riding his bike on Tremaine Rd. in Milton.

While Ontario has a number of policies in place that are supposed to encourage active transportation and ensure the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, the political will necessary to implement these policies effectively is lacking, says McMahon. “We’re starting to see some progress . . . you would think that having these things in policies would help, but we sure have a long way to go.”

The Global Status Report 2013 will serve as the baseline for Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, declared by the UN General Assembly to stem the rise in road accidents as one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

Kristen Courtney is an environmental lawyer and a Fellow in Global Journalism at the Munk School for Global Affairs.