Cape Town - E-SCOOTERS and electric bikes are a nightmare on the Sea Point Promenade and one woman has landed in hospital after being hit by one.
Atlantic Seaboard residents have suggested that the City of Cape Town create a dedicated lane on the Promenade for these vehicles, enforcing speed limits and having a bell or horn fitted to ensure pedestrian safety. Some suggested that e-scooter legislation be put in place to help regulate the vehicles.
“Make one step to the left or right and these speeding wheels can do some damage. Recently there was a debate on whether or not to ban these bikes and scooters or the promenade; it’s no longer up for debate but the danger is real,” said Liv Godelieve, admin for the Atlantic Seaboard Community Forum.
The City's roads and parks departments have also been lobbied to look into interventions about e-scooters on the Promenade and beyond.
Zandre Engelbrecht travelled to Cape Town from Bloemfontein with the hope of running the Cape Town Marathon for the very first time, but her hopes to participate were dashed when she was hit by an e-scooter on the eve of the race.
She was hit by a foreign national, who said they hired the e-scooter, on Victoria Road in Clifton.
Engelbrecht was left with multiple bruises and injuries to her back and leg, and in severe pain.
Engelbrecht’s boyfriend, who was running about 2km behind her, arrived and took her to the nearest pharmacy, where she was told that she needed to be admitted to hospital immediately.
“I’ve worked with a running coach since May and my goal was to run the Cape Town Marathon which would have been my road marathon debut. A lot of time and money has gone into my training over the past few months,” she said.
Engelbrecht was unable to participate in the marathon.
Engelbrecht reported the incident to Camps Bay police and was told that because e-scooters are not licensed vehicles, a case could not be opened. Instead, the incident was recorded in the police station’s Occurrence Book.
She is in the process of suing the City of Cape Town and the e-scooter rental company for damages.
Another woman was hit by an e-scooter earlier that day on the Sea Point Promenade.
The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was taking a stroll with a friend when she was hit by a young girl, riding alongside her father.
“I was hit and jarred, but my friend just held onto me so I didn’t fall but I was pushed over forward.
“I definitely would have fallen hard if my friend didn’t hold onto me,” said the woman.
She heard about Engelbrecht’s incident and expressed concern for her.
“I just want someone to do something about this as a serious accident is waiting to happen. Lots of elderly people walk on the promenade; they would be smashed badly if they were hit.
“I went to the police station. They said that they don’t know if e-scooters are illegal or not. Really? Our police don’t know our laws? They gave me a form for a doctor to complete in order to open a case but I didn’t go to the doctor so no case was opened.”
The woman has an existing lower back issue and later saw her physiotherapist. It is unclear if being hit by the e-scooter worsened her back issues or not.
Provincial police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg advised that e-scooter and electric bicycle collision incidents be reported to the nearest police station where an accident report form must be completed like with motor vehicle accidents.
He added that Traffic Services would complete all relevant forms if called to the scene.
Pedestrians are concerned that there is no consensus by police officers and law enforcement on how to deal with these incidents.
“It is clear that there are no rules regarding the use of e-scooters so it makes sense that nobody knows how to approach this.
“Mixed messages are going around and that is quite scary,” said Engelbrecht.
There is currently no legislation in South Africa that regulates e-scooters leaving the use of such vehicles on our roads a grey area.
Maxine Bezuidenhout, spokesperson for City Traffic Service confirmed that the City received complaints from residents and is aware of such incidents.
“The bikes are legal, provided that they are used legally within the framework of the National Road Traffic Act.
“Their regulation requires national legislation,” said Bezuidenhout.
On the topic of the safety of e-scooters for children, Bezuidenhout suggested that national legislation be referred to for age limits.
Mayco member for Urban Mobility Roberto Quintas and Nicola Jowell, councillor for ward 54 on the Atlantic Seaboard, were approached for comment, but neither were able to provide a response in time.
Jowell, however, responded to the woman who was hit on the Promenade. Jowell informed her that the incidents are now being tracked “so that there is a better representation of the number and severity”.
“I have been in contact with the lady in the other incident which was on the pavement and this has been highlighted with the roads department as it is an ongoing issue. And does require more enforcement from traffic services as scooters should not be on the pavements at all.”
Jowell said she had been lobbying the Parks department for interventions “as there needs to be safety measures in place at the very least”.
Lisa Williams of Cape Town Electrek based in Sea Point said that the company rents outs e-scooters to adults and children aged from 5-years-old and up, and that each rider is given a tutorial.
“Safety is our main priority with all riders. We also have rules and regulations printed out for people to read. We have scooters of different speeds for different age groups,” said Williams.
Jared Chaitowitz, co-owner of Up Cycles, confirmed that the company did not rent out electric bicycles or e-scooters.
“We have made a conscious choice not to invest in a fleet of e-scooters because we do not believe they are safe or appropriate for the Sea Point Promenade in its current form. To us, the risk of injury to our customers and the public is too great with e-scooters, and outweighs the profit we could make by renting them,” said Chaitowitz.
