Though often hamstrung at home by headstrong state lawmakers, an entrenched taxi industry and a city in which even a single bike lane can inspire years of litigation, Mr. Bloomberg has found success overseas in pushing — and financing — a global transportation agenda during his final years as the mayor of New York City.

Since 2007, Mr. Bloomberg’s charitable foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, has committed more than $130 million toward traffic policy and road safety worldwide, outstripping donations for every cause except the reduction of tobacco use.