The main aim of AMF is to bring all the diverse voices around active mobility under one banner, to address issues like climate change and support healthy lifestyles that improve mental and physical health while simultaneously working as a catalyst for the economy.
The AMF was founded in 2022 and arose out of a partnership between the Cape Town’s Bicycle Mayor (Sindile Mavundla) and the Young Urbanists – an established community of people in their 20s and 30s with diverse knowledge and passion for supporting spatial justice and thriving cities in South Africa.1
Cycling, walking and other active mobility (in addition to investments in public transport) make an important contribution to tackling many of the key policy challenges facing Cape Town. The city is the most congested in South Africa, with both travel times and carbon emissions growing fast. The city’s own Transport Directorate has found that this costs the city R2.8 billion a year and lower-income residents up to 45% of their monthly household expenditure.
AMF responds to this by advocating for public investment in infrastructure to support the growth of active mobility, while engaging and collaborating with communities and policy makers. It pushes for an approach modelled on the success stories of cities across the world,2 which have seen rapid growth in active mobility through public investment, including through rapid, low-cost ‘pop-up’ bicycle lanes.
AMF is here to be collaborative and supportive, and to use research to bring informed decisions in the Non-Motorised Transportation (NMT) space & work with the government to bring about change.
NMT is critical for a liveable Cape Town and requires the least amount of investment compared to furthering urban sprawl and car dependency for our city to yield the most benefits. We are only getting started now. We need your help, join the ride.
1 NPC 2019/310012/08. Read more here.
2 Sevilla, Buenos Aires and Bogotá being three examples from outside of Northern Europe to look to.