Transport for Cape Town (TCT), the City’s transport authority, will soon publish a draft cycling strategy that aims to increase the percentage of commuter trips made by bicycle from the current 1% to 8% by 2032.
Says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron: “Although the City of Cape Town has committed substantial resources over the past decade or so to creating a cycling-friendly city, we have not succeeded as yet in convincing more residents to accept and use cycling as a legitimate mode of transport. The city’s existing cycle network now covers at least 450km of cycle lanes. Also, cycle lanes and walkways are installed if there is space to do so wherever the City constructs new roads or undertakes major refurbishment of existing roads. Although some of these lanes are popular, for recreational cycling in particular, we still have not seen the growth in commuter cycling we are aiming for.”
Cycling has many advantages: it is cheap, environmentally friendly, and is a healthy alternative to private vehicles for trips of 10km or less.
Tasso Evangelinos, CEO of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District, welcomes the draft cycling strategy, saying: “Usage of the City’s cycle lanes in the CBD as a means of commuting could also go a long way to reducing our peak traffic problems.”
Councillor Herron continues: “Some expect the City to simply keep on providing new road infrastructure to alleviate congestion; however, new roads alone will not solve this challenge. We need our residents to also do their part and to start changing the way they travel. More sustainable travelling choices such as public transport, carpooling, or working flexitime – as is proposed in our draft Travel Demand Management Strategy, which is currently available for public comment – must be considered. Sustainable travelling choices include cycling and this will be addressed in our draft cycling strategy, which will be ready for public comment within the next eight weeks.
“We need residents to use bicycles for shorter trips and we need our motorists to accept cycling as a legitimate mode of transport – thus, that cyclists are also entitled to use the city’s roads.
The City’s draft cycling strategy will propose alternative approaches for cultivating a cycling culture in Cape Town. Says Councillor Herron: “We will also make a business case of how a cycling culture can assist our local economy. For example, we want to explore possibilities of a bicycle manufacturing plant and a bike-share system – but then we need our residents to take to the streets and to start a cycling revolution.