How to be a Travel SMART Pedestrian
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See and be seen: be observant, and make sure motorists can see you.
Don’t run across the road, and always look both ways before crossing.
Avoid jaywalking.
Do not walk in the road – walk on the pavement. If there isn’t
a pavement, walk at the edge of the road.
Be extra-careful when crossing roads at night.
Avoid roads when you are intoxicated.
Use a pedestrian bridge to cross a road whenever a bridge is available.
Do not walk half-way across the road to wait for traffic, or weave in and
out of traffic – remain at the side of the road until both lanes are clear.
How to be a Travel SMART Cyclist
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Cyclists stay alive at 1.5: keep a distance of at least 1.5m between you
and the nearest motorist.
Don’t ride without a helmet – it’s illegal.
Use reflective gear and flashing lights, especially after dark or when it
is overcast.
Keep to the left in the road, and ride in single file if you are cycling in
a group.
Carry your emergency contact details with you.
Always obey traffic rules: under South African law, bicycles are regarded
as vehicles and must follow the same rules as for other vehicles.
At all times, clearly indicate your intentions to motorists, and signal
appropriately.
Before you start your trip, check your bicycle for any obvious signs
of malfunction, and always carry a set of basic spares with you for
emergency repairs.
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Want to be SMARTer?
On the City of Cape Town’s Travel SMART website you will find important
information and advice to assist you in becoming Actively Mobile. This
includes the following:
For cyclists:
Good reasons to use a bicycle • Cycling safely • Tips for choosing
the right bicycle and gear for safe commuting • Rules of the
road for cyclists • Cyclists and motorists: learning to share the road
• Useful SA websites for cyclists.
For pedestrians:
Good reasons to choose walking • Pedestrian safety • The basic
rules of the road (and pavement!) • Pedestrians and the Law
• The right way to cross a street.
travel SMART
Promoting Sustainable Transport
Cheaper • Healthier • Greener • Better
Need more info about Travel SMART?
For more information on the Travel SMART programme
and other modes of sustainable transport:
Visit our website at
www.capetown.gov.za/travelsmart
Email us at travel.smart@capetown.gov.za
Using non-motorised transport options
For Public Transport Information
For all information on Public Transport, call the City’s
Transport Information Centre (TIC), available 24/7,
on 0800 65 64 63.
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It’s time to get SMART
Be Travel SMART, be Actively Mobile
Good reasons to try Active Mobility
Walking and cycling both offer a number of benefits:
• Cheap and affordable. Walking and cycling are inexpensive travel
options over short distances, especially given the rising cost of fuel.
They also eliminate the need to search for and pay for parking.
The Travel SMART programme has been developed by the City of Cape Town
to provide commuters with valuable information about more sustainable
travel options.
These sustainable transport options include:
• forming or joining a lift club;
• using public transport;
• becoming a SMART Driver; and
• switching to Active Mobility (non-motorised transport) options such
as bicycling or walking.
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Improve your health and well-being. Walking and cycling offer
multiple health benefits, including the prevention of heart disease,
stress, diabetes, cancer, depression and back pain. The type of
exercise that both these options offer can also improve your mental
well-being, muscle tone, and metabolism – and even your memory and
concentration. Walking or cycling every day is a practical way of fitting
exercise into a hectic life, and assists you to maintain a healthy weight.
For example, for the average person of around 68kg, one kilometre
of walking burns an average of 250 kilojoules. For the same person,
10 minutes of cycling will burn 286 kilojoules.
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Reduce your impact on the environment. Walking produces
zero emissions. Moving around the city on foot or by bicycle instead
of by motor vehicle reduces your impact on local air pollution, energy
consumption, global warming and the health of your family and your
fellow Capetonians.
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Support a liveable city. By walking or cycling the streets of Cape
Town you help to bring life to the city, and support the development
of safe and sustainable urban spaces.
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See so much more. Moving around the city on foot or by bicycle
is a great way of getting to know what the city is really all about,
and discovering places you didn’t even know were there.
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Have fun. Walking or cycling through the city on a sunny day can
be far more enjoyable than completing the same journey by car –
particularly in a city as beautiful as Cape Town.
It’s this last option – Active Mobility – that we’d like to take a closer look at
in this brochure.
Active Mobility – a SMART choice
As part of the Travel SMART programme, the City of Cape Town encourages
the use of Active Mobility (also known as non-motorised transport or NMT),
which includes walking and bicycling. These activities require that the SMART
traveller exert a certain amount of physical effort or ‘activity’ to get moving –
hence the term Active Mobility.
A city in which people walk and cycle is a safer, more vibrant and more
integrated one, with cleaner air and a healthier population. Plus, with today’s
ever-rising fuel and parking costs, becoming actively mobile instead of using
our motor vehicles will put more money back into our pockets.
CONSIDER WALKING OR BICYCLING TO WORK OR TO MEETINGS.
A significant number of the journeys we take by motorised transport each
day are over short distances.
Some people are lucky enough to live close to work, while others must attend meetings during the day in buildings close by. Making these journeys on
foot rather than by driving is good for your pocket, good for the environment,
and – most importantly – good for your fitness and health levels.
If you live far away from your place of work, consider using public transport
for part of your journey, and then walking the remaining distance.
Likewise, the City of Cape Town promotes bicycling, both as a sustainable
method of transport and as a great way to stay fit and healthy.
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