WHEN BICYCLE LANES ARE NOT ENOUGH

Growing mode share in Cape Town, South Africa: an analysis of policy and practice

Gail Jennings: University of Cape TownBrett Petzer: University of Cape TownEzra Goldman*: Upshift Cars

*formerly of the University of Copenhagen

Africa’s Cycle City?

“Some days I really don’t feel like being diplomatic … about how sh-t it is for … cyclists across the city –and how 5 or 6 years later in some parts little to nothing has changed. Performance and impact remains low. Some cute ‘add-ons’ and ‘goodenoughism’, ‘so thankful to haves’ is certainly far from the shift people need…”

Social media comment, date X, name known to the author

Infrastructure: hard versus soft

Source: OpenStreets.org.za

Source: Bicycle Cape Town (bicyclecapetown.org), 29/03/2015

Bicycling Policy and Implementation in South Africa and in Cape Town

Source: Author

Source: Twitter user @robwardphoto, 16/06/2016

Source: Twitter user @robwardphoto, 16/06/2016

Lotus River commuter cycling route, Cape Town (built 2011). Source: Twitter user @PedalPowerPPA, 15/04/2016

Copenhagenising Cape Town?

Bicycle infrastructure in Claremont (L) and CBD (R), Cape TownSource: Author

’Whereas BRT is nowadays a textbook example … the development process of more than three decades is seldom acknowledged, and other cities tend to copy only the successful “end-state”’. (Hitge, 2012)

Bogotá is an extraordinary example of matching infrastructure “hardware” with public-policy “software”: Latin’s America’s most extensive network of cycleways, the world longest pedestrian corridor, and the planet’s biggest Car Free Day (covering an entire city of 35,000 hectares). Today [2005], 43 per cent of the city’s transport investment budget goes to ancillary policy measures.

(Cervero, 2005)

Bicycle lanes leading through BRT station, Bogotá, Colombia.Source: Author Source: Flickr user GINAPFD

Sunday Ciclovia, BogotáSource: https://lavidaesloca.wordpress.com 18/05/2008

Discussion: Build it and they don’t come?

‘Reports of rider attacked and mugged [again], cycle lane near Woodstock station’

‘What’s the point of a cycle lane if it can’t be safely used?’

‘I never use that portion of the cycle lane. I rather risk the [highway].’

Cyclists’ comments on social media, July 2015

Shifting gears: a new direction in bicycle planning?

Concluding thoughts