City of Cape Town wants to hear YOUR thoughts on proposed new traffic calming rules

CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit is joined by Mikhail Manuel of Urban Mobility at the City of Cape Town.

Listen below:

The City of Cape Town is updating its policy for managing traffic calming measures.

Its traffic calming policy was last updated in 2016 and focused mainly on schools, and was limited to measures like speed humps and mini circles.

The new Draft 2025 Policy keeps schools as a priority but introduces some changes.

Members of the public are being asked to give their feedback on the draft policy, which ultimately aims to enhance road safety for vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.

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"As a ward councillor myself, I have come across some of these frustrations."

- Mikhail Manuel, Urban Mobility - City of Cape Town

Manuel says around R14 million is spent on traffic calming by the City every year.

Roland Postma of Young Urbanists and the Active Mobility Forum argues that the policy doesn't go far enough.

"It does allow for other traffic calming, but there is no more certainty, so it's very much at the discretion of your district civil engineer... This policy needs to give more certainty and more capacity to our officials."

- Roland Postma, Managing Director - Young Urbanists and the Active Mobility Forum

Manuel agrees.

"The ability of the public to be able to improve infrastructure in their area shouldn't hinge on the vociferousness of a particular counsellor."

- Mikhail Manuel, Urban Mobility - City of Cape Town

Postma says the policy acknowledges the need for it to extend beyond schools, but says it fails to give greater certainty and support for that.

"It's very important we get this right as a city. It's an improvement, but it doesn't go far enough."

- Roland Postma, Managing Director - Young Urbanists and the Active Mobility Forum

Click here to have your say on the draft policy.

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation from Good Morning Cape Town.