South African Cities for a long time were designed around the car due to modernist thinking and apartheid spatial planning which killed the cycling culture that once existed and thrived in these cities. The city of Cape Town now has a goal to promote cycling as a means of transport and is in the process of constructing pedestrian and cycling lanes in the city centre and townships. Inspired by the work of Open Street Cape Town on Non-Motorised Transport and car free days, the Langa Bicycle Hub was conceptualised and implemented in alignment with the City of Cape Town’s goals to promote cycling. The hub was created to offer a range of bike-related services including helping people learn how to ride, collecting old, damaged bicycle materials, and building bicycles suitable for gravel and flooded roads in informal settlements.

• The Langa Bicycle Centre was opened to be a home for all cycling needs to improve mobility
• Bike repairs and upscaling of old bicycle parts to make affordable bikes
• Offering lessons on cycling and safety guidelines while cycling on the road especially to women and children
• Organising a ‘bike bus’ where people come together to cycle safely into the city centre of Cape Town
• Home delivery of groceries and other important goods like medication to bedridden/disabled residents around Langa

This project shows the potential of bicycles in the push for NMT as a more sustainable means of transport in our cities. It also demonstrates the impact that a small team such as Langa Bicycle Hub can have on the community in making safer walking and cycling a reality for all. It has improved the use of bicycles as a means of transport in Langa and the concept can also be used to promote cycling in other municipalities.