01 Oct 2012 City opens Sea Point promenade to cyclists
October is Transport Month. As a trial, the prohibition on the use of bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades on the Sea Point promenade was lifted today, for the duration of the month. If all goes well, the prohibition will remain lifted on a month-to-month basis.
Brett Herron, the City of Cape Town’s Mayco Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater has announced that as part of its efforts to build an Inclusive City, the City of Cape Town will be lifting the prohibition on the use of bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades on the Sea Point Promenade, with effect 1 October 2012.
The trial phase will run for the duration of October Transport Month 2012 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,” says Cllr Herron. “However, I am confident that the experience will allow us to overcome some of our misperceptions and prejudices around other users of Active Mobility.
“All visitors to the promenade are asked to remain courteous and considerate, especially to more vulnerable users. Cyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers must in all cases give right of way to pedestrians and wheelchair users, and travel at a sensible, safe and prudent speed,” says Herron.
The Councillor stressed that the promenade was not being opened to 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,” Herron says.
The initiative had been successful on promenades and walkways in other parts of the world and was “a logical extension” of the Share the Road Campaign, which encourages cyclists and motorists to share roads courteously and safely.
Tips for cycling on the promenade:
* Please respect other users – pedestrians still have right of way
* Keep left, pass right
* Please announce your approach to pedestrians or slower users by eg calling “passing right”
* The promenade is not a racetrack!
* Bring your family to come and enjoy themselves – bring the kids on their small bikes for a cycle in a traffic-free environment
Please ride responsibly, so that the promenade can remain open for cyclists to use in future!
At the announcement that the ban on cycling will be lifted: Andrew Wheeldon (left) from BEN, Karin Pohl (red jacket) from PPA, Cllr Beverly Schafer