Cape Town’s Downhill Skater, Dec’io Lourenc’o is facing some serious charges for reckless endangerment. And JP Smith, Cape Town City Councilor and Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, is behind it all.
Dec’io joined us in studio on Friday afternoon on 2oceansvibe Radio for a debate, along with Andrew Wheeldon, Founder and MD at the Bicycle Empowerment Network. Just prior to the interview, we called to J.P Smith from the City of Cape Town.
Some interesting debate emerged on Twitter during the course of the interview.
@2OVfm there is no provision for skateboarding to be included in the NMT lanes. He is lying
— Marco (@sk8collective) February 8, 2013
@SAGRA_za Skateboarding does not belong on public roads. It is far too dangerous. We are trying to BRING DOWN the road death toll.
— Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 7, 2013
Some of the issues raised during all three interviews were:
Can it be argued that bicycles and skateboards pose the same level of risk to motorists?
Are they both valid forms of transport on Cape Town roads?
Should skateboarders be allowed on streets, and if so under what circumstances?
If competitive cyclists are allowed to practice on Cape Town’s roads, should downhill skateboarders be allowed to practice on Cape Town roads?
Is the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town meaningfully engaging with skateboarders to come to a satisfactory solution?
We’ll be following up the story with counsellor Brett Herron. Leave any questions that you might have for Herron in the comments section, below.
Click here to tune in to 2ov.fm!
Or click that silver button on the top right of your screen.
Follow Andrew Wheeldon on Twitter here.
CLICK HERE to catch all our coverage on Dec’io, including
