- The City of Cape Town has scrapped a proposal to ban cyclists along Sea Point Promenade.
- A total of 1 953 comments were received during the public participation process.
- Rob Quintas, the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, said many residents raised concerns during the consultation period.
The City of Cape Town has abandoned its proposal to transform Sea Point Promenade into a pedestrian-only zone, and will allow cyclists, rollerbladers and skateboarders to use the pavement on the seaside of Beach Road.
However, it has banned the use of motorised devices.
The City said it had concluded a preliminary assessment of the comments received in reaction to the proposal for the recreational use of Sea Point Promenade. The majority of those who participated in this commenting process supported cycling on the promenade.
A total of 1 953 comments were received during the public participation process.
Rob Quintas, the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, said many raised concerns during the consultation process.
He added:
Quintas said officials were currently assessing residents' comments and proposals.
The City proposed transforming the promenade into a pedestrian-only zone, allowing cyclists, rollerbladers and skateboarders to use the Beach Road pavement and banning motorised vehicles. A detailed five-month investigation into who used the promenade and how they used it, stated that residents, particularly the elderly, had raised concerns about their safety.
The proposal unleashed the ire of businesses.
Jared Chaitowitz, co-owner of Up Cycles Bicycle Rental, previously said cycling on the promenade was a much-loved activity.
He said:
Among some of those who raised concerns during the City's consultation period was Our Future Cities, an NPO that focuses on promoting democracy and actions toward the creation of more equitable, progressive and bold cities.
"We are appalled that scarce public resources (time, salaries, etc.) are even being applied to this non-issue by the City, in a country and world striving for recovery from the pandemic. In a time when Cape Town and the Western Cape should be forward-looking and embrace innovation and policies which promote inclusivity, we are left with this proposal, which seems to be a remnant of past administrations and a bygone era," Our Future Cities said in its comment sent to the City.
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