The City’s Recreation and Parks Department has announced a range of measures to improve safety and better manage the growing use of e-scooters, e-bikes and other electric mobility devices on the Sea Point Promenade.
Concerns have recently been raised about rider behaviour, including excessive speeds, which pose a safety risk, especially to children and the elderly.
Several injuries have been reported recently, including a 7-year-old girl struck by an e-scooter and a resident who required knee surgery.
The City has now stepped in, introducing a Sea Point Promenade Management Protocol, followed by clearer signage, stronger controls for rental operators, improved monitoring, and coordinated enforcement, using existing by-laws which govern speed limits.
National road traffic legislation and the City’s Streets By-law also protect sidewalks for pedestrian use.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, says the aim is to ensure that everyone, particularly children, older persons and people with disabilities, can enjoy the Promenade safely.
“The Sea Point Promenade is one of Cape Town’s most loved public spaces, but it has also become one of our busiest. As the number of electric mobility devices has grown, so have safety concerns. These measures provide clear, practical rules that protect pedestrians while allowing responsible use of electric mobility devices.”
Higham says the Promenade is designed first and foremost as a pedestrian recreational space, and pedestrians must always be able to move safely through the area.
She says the speed, weight and increasing use of some electric devices – particularly high-powered sit-on scooters carrying more than one person – can pose a serious risk in crowded pedestrian areas, increasing the risk of collisions in busy sections.
The Recreation and Parks Department will now finalise and publish the conditions governing the use of electric mobility devices on the Promenade as well as erect new signage by the end of August.
In addition to the protocol, the City will begin installing signage explaining the speed limit, pedestrian priority, dismount and no-riding areas, safe behaviour and the applicable operating restrictions.
Strict new rules will apply:
- A maximum speed of 8 km/h in shared pedestrian areas
- Pedestrian right-of-way at all times
- No racing, weaving through crowds or reckless riding
- No riding on grassed areas
- Mandatory dismounting at identified congestion points
- One rider per device
- Appropriate age, supervision and safety requirements
- Identification requirements for commercial rental devices
- Restrictions on oversized and high-powered devices, and
- Operating-hour and event-specific controls.
The City is also finalising the appropriate technical threshold for high-powered rental devices, together with controls relating to weight, passenger capacity and maximum speed.
A formal compliance process for rental operators whose devices are used on the Promenade will also be finalised by September.
This will include operator and device identification, verified speed controls, responsible rental practices, incident reporting, public liability requirements, and controls on the storage or collection of devices on public land.
Operators currently using the Promenade without formal permission will be required to comply within a defined period. Non-compliance may result in enforcement action.
The City will also consider whether the number and location of rental operators and devices should be limited to reduce congestion in the busiest sections of the Promenade.
“Our goal is straightforward: to keep the Sea Point Promenade safe, welcoming and accessible for everyone. We will continue working with residents, operators and enforcement agencies to ensure that this remains one of Cape Town’s premier public spaces where people of all ages and abilities can walk, exercise and enjoy the coastline safely.”
