Skate Park Promotes Non-Motorised Transport

The Gardens Skate Park under the Mill Street bridge was officially opened by the City of Cape Town and National Skate Collective on 2 August 2014.

The park is predominantly concrete, is fenced off from the surrounding roads and equipped with lights. It caters for beginners as well as professional users. The design of the park simulates the urban street skating experience by including elements like stairs, rails and benches.

Skateboarders have waited four years for the park to be completed. The long delay was caused by challenges in obtaining approvals. It is situated under a provincial road and the application to use space under a road bridge for this kind of purpose was unprecedented.

Department of Transport and Public Works employee Marco Morgan, who is a member of the National Skate Collective, says the four-metre high fence and access control system will ensure the safety of park users as well as vehicles on the roads located on three sides of the park.

“This flagship park will hopefully be the first of many. We’d like to show how skate parks could benefit people across the city. The National Skate Collective and other organisations are working with the City of Cape Town to establish location, safety and security criteria and to look for possible sites for more skate parks,” said Morgan.

The opening of the park created excitement among skateboarders who were eager to claim their space in a safe, world-class facility. The facility will help to promote non-motorised transport in the Western Cape.