Bree, Wale, Strand and Shortmarket becomes CAR FREE ZONE on Sundays

Lester Kiewit speaks to Roland Postma of Young Urbanists SA and Ward Councillor Ian McMahon.

Listen below.

As an experiment, Young Urbanists SA will see bustling Bree Street made a car-free zone every Sunday in summer, allowing cyclists, skateboarders and pedestrians to enjoy the space safely. 

Every Sunday from 27 October from 10 am to 5 pm, Bree, Wale, Strand and Shortmarket Street will be closed to cars and open to pedestrians only.

Capetonians are invited to reclaim public space and reimagine a safer, more pedestrian-friendly city.

There will be no loud music or commercial stalls — just community, creativity, and safe, open and slow streets.

This initiative comes during Transportation Month (October) which aims to create safer streets in Cape Town and is supported by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. 

Whether you’re walking, cycling, or skating, everyone is welcome.

You are invited to bring your family and friends along to be part of this and to keep it going.

Car-free Sundays will keep going into 2025 until constructive public feedback says otherwise.

"A new tool for society and government to reimagine streets and test it out to see if it works - we should make streets safer."

- Roland Postma, Young Urbanists SA

McMahon says it was easy to get buy-in from businesses in the area because it's usually quiet on Sundays during lunchtime.

"It wasn't too difficult to get the buy-in, so this is an experiment for businesses in the area to see how or if this will affect their businesses since Sundays are quieter days."

- Ian McMahon, Ward councillor - City of Cape Town

"The thought here is if we are going to do this as an experiment every Sunday over the summer months, at least over time it will build up a groundswell and get more people to the CBD which isn't really a busy area on a Sunday, lunch time."

- Ian McMahon, Ward councillor - City of Cape Town

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.