Certain streets in Cape Town’s CBD are set to be closed for vehicles throughout the summer, in an effort to allow people to enjoy city cuisine and live entertainment more safely and more spaciously, according to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
The streets may be closed for cars, but they’ve never been more open to diners.
Thank you to many activists and Capetonians who have worked on this and suggested it for the longest time, some for many years. I think here of @OpenStreetsCT and @young_urbanists and others. This is a small but important step in the right direction. Thanks to them! https://t.co/Xxsr2mRAvS
— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) December 13, 2021
Hill-Lewis attributes the catalyst behind the pedestrianisation of the City’s streets to a Twitter user, Richard Holmes, who reached out to the mayor via the platform.
With all eyes on saving/promoting domestic tourism & hospitality this summer… why not pedestrianise key streets (eg Bree/Somerset/Kloof in @CityofCT) from 4-10pm, so restaurants can have larger *safe* outdoor seating? Possible, @geordinhl @alanwinde ?
— Richard Holmes (@onanotherplane) November 29, 2021
The kick-off of the open-air city dining experience will happen in Bree Street on December 18.
For the street closure debut, live music and naturally wonderful cuisine from the city will be a part of the unique experience!
Bree Street will be the first in a series of streets to follow suit. Twenty eateries are set to be a part of the open-air initiative, according to Hill-Lewis.
“In the weeks thereafter, this safer dining innovation will expand to other streets too including Harrington and Long. Details of all road closures and participating streets will be announced,” Hill-Lewis said as per IOL.
The idea also largely stems from a want to boost and enhance domestic and local tourism, which thanks to the fourth wave of COVID-19, the city’s tourism will be heavily reliant on.
It also allows for more space-conscious dining, which will ease people into enjoying their cuisine experiences, without the fear of being on top of one another, making these environments more COVID-19 precautions.
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Picture: Eat Out