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The City of Cape Town have opened Sea Point Promenade to cyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers during Transport Month.
The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater, Councillor Brett Herron, has announced that as part of its efforts to build an Inclusive City, the City will be experimenting with lifting the prohibition on the use of bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades on the Sea Point Promenade. This will come into effect from 1 October 2012.
The trial phase will run for the duration of October, which is Transport Month, and has the full backing of the Sea Point Residents’ Association. It will affect the entire promenade, from Mouille Point to Queen’s Beach.
“We will be monitoring the situation very closely during the trial phase. However I am confident that the experience will allow us to overcome some of our misperceptions and prejudices around users of alternative transport methods, also known as Active Mobility.
“All visitors to the promenade are asked to remain courteous and considerate – especially toward more vulnerable users. Cyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers must, in all cases, give right of way to pedestrians, prams and wheelchair users, and travel at a safe and sensible speed,” said Councillor Herron.
He stressed that the promenade was not being opened for professional cycling or skateboarding tricks, but for the use of bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades for leisurely transportation purposes.
“The idea, from an urban planning perspective, is that the high density of pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers will have a slowing down effect on the general speed of traffic.”
“The initiative has been successful on promenades and walkways in other parts of the world and is a logical extension of the Share the Road Campaign, which encourages cyclists and motorists to share roads courteously and safely.
“We have consulted local representatives for the various types of non-motorised transport, who have offered to launch Twitter and Facebook campaigns to remind their members of the basic rules of etiquette expected from Active Mobility users on the promenade,” said Councillor Herron.
Cllr Beverley Schafer, Ward Councillor for the Atlantic Seaboard, said that there has always been the understanding amongst Sea Point residents that the promenade was a treasure to be shared with people from all over Cape Town and beyond.
“It simply does not make sense that visitors on bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades are not able to enjoy the promenade as our walkers and joggers do. This trial period will also cater for the increasing numbers of tour guides taking groups of cycling tourists along key scenic routes in the city”.
“With the upgrade of the sea wall and walkway scheduled to take place over the next three years, the Sea Point Promenade is set to become one of Cape Town’s most appreciated and enjoyed recreational spaces,” said Councillor Schafer.
