Premier Alan Winde and MEC Daylin Mitchell on promoting safer mobility

Premier Alan Winde, the MEC of Mobility Daylin Mitchell, and the MEC of Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagen Allen, recently joined the Pedal Power Association on a 10km cycling trip to promote cycling in Cape Town.

The event forms part of October Transport Month activities promoting mobility and safety initiatives across the province. Cycling provides an opportunity to improve sustainable mobility in terms of social and environmental impacts. It also increases access to opportunities for those to whom public transport is unaffordable. The Western Cape Government is committed to creating an enabling environment for our top priorities which support job creation, safety and well-being. Improved mobility is key in this regard.

While cycling remains one the most used modes of mobility, more needs to be done to ensure citizens commute safely in our communities. The government has through the Provincial Sustainable Transport Programme (PSTP), initiated by the Department of Transport and Public Works, distributed over 2000 bicycles to various functioning mobility programmes, including neighbourhood watches since its inception in 2019.

The programme supports the development and implementation of sustainable transport systems in the Western Cape and will continue to develop transport systems through forming partnerships with key stakeholders, including local municipalities, communities and businesses. It also supported mobility programmes for learner transport, micro-enterprise support, food distribution, and even the delivery of medicines during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The programme also recognises that non-motorised transport is the most accessible mobility option to access basic services and opportunities, especially for our rural communities and aims to develop sustainable transport systems through forming partnerships with key stakeholders, including local municipalities, communities and businesses.