Cape Town: The Recreation and Parks Department of the City of Cape Town is introducing a range of measures to improve safety and to better manage the growing use of e-scooters, e-bikes and other electric mobility devices on the Sea Point Promenade. The Promenade is one of Cape Town’s busiest public recreational spaces.
Every day it is used by visitors from across the City of Cape Town, which includes walkers, runners, families, children, older persons, cyclicts and people with disabilities. As the number and size of electric mobility devices has increased, it is concerned about rider behaviour, excessive speeds and conflicts with pedestrians and riders in this shared space.
Their priority is to ensure that everyone can enjoy the Promenade safely. The new measures are aimed at improving pedestrian safety while providing clear rules for the responsible use of electric mobility devices.
The first and foremost step will be a Sea Point Promenade Management Protocol, followed by clearer signage, stronger controls for rental operators, improved monitoring and coordinated enforcement.
Existing by-laws already, the city allows Recreation and Parks to regulate vehicles in public recreational spaces, set conditions of use and impose speed limits. National road traffic legislation and the Streets By-law also protect sidewalks for pedestrian use. These powers provide the legal basis for the new Promenade Management Protocol, signage and enforcement measures.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Francine Higham stated that the Sea Point Promenade is one of Cape Town’s most loved public spaces and now it has also become one of the busiest among all. As the number of electric mobility devices has grown, so have the safety concerns.
Their responsibility is to ensure that everyone, particularly the children, older persons and people with disabilities, can enjoy the Promenade safely. These measures provide clear, practical rules that protect pedestrians while allowing responsible use of electric mobility devices.
The Promenade is designed as a pedestrian recreational space. While it accommodates a range of users, pedestrians must always be able to move safely through the area. The City of Cape Town recognises that the speed, weight and increasing use of some electric devices, especially the high-powered sit-on scooters carrying over one person, can pose a serious risk in crowded pedestrian areas, by increasing the risk of collisions in busy sections of the Promenade.
However, the Recreation and Parks Department will 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 2026. In addition to the protocol, the City of Cape Town will begin installing signage, while explaining the speed limit, pedestrian priority, dismount and no-riding areas, safe behaviour and the applicable operating restrictions.
As per the sources, the protocol will confirm:
- 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.
Recreation and Parks Department and Public Trading Department will establish a formal compliance process for rental operators whose devices are used on the Promenade by September 2026. 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 of Cape Town 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.
An enforcement plan will also be concluded with Parks Rangers, Law Enforcement, Public Trading and Urban Mobility. This will clarify the use of warnings, compliance notices, fines and impoundment where authorised.
Cllr Higham expressed that their goal is straightforward: to keep the Sea Point Promenade safe, welcoming and accessible for everyone. They 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.