I, a concerned citizen, am deeply disturbed by the frequent encounters with sports cyclists on public roads who disregard road rules and endanger the safety of others. Having personally witnessed these offenses in Cape Town, the matter is close to my heart but also extends to a nationwide concern. Our roads are shared spaces, and as such, every user has an obligation to follow its rules, cyclists included.

Sports cyclists, like any other road users, should be held accountable for their actions, particularly when breaking road rules. To this end, I propose a measure that all sports bicycles should be registered in a manner akin to vehicle registration. This license can double as a license for the bike as well as the rider whereby the rider is required to complete a basic test to confirm their knowledge of hand signals to use on public roads and road rules they must adhere to. A license disk should be permanently attached to the bicycle, and cyclists should face fines or impoundment for repeating offenses. The permanently attached license disk will also help in curbing the second hand sale of stolen high end bicycles as a transfer of ownership of the bike will need to be processed by the authorities.
(All of the above are proposals...there will obviously be some ironing out of exact legalities at the end of the day). 

Aside from promoting safer roads, implementing these measures could stimulate job creation in the field of bicycle registration and its enforcement. Furthermore, sports cycling events involving groups larger than 4 or 5 individuals(events including, but not limited to, weekend morning cycling clubs),  should be required to obtain a permit from the city. This will not only ensure greater control over these groups of cyclists but also bring about a safer, and better-regulated cycling culture.

With an ever growing percentage of cyclist fatalities(more often than not, sports cyclists) annually, not to mention the number of cyclist accidents without fatalities, it's time we took this matter seriously. It's time we worked towards safer roads and greater accountability.

Please sign this petition to impel our Mayor, The City of Cape Town and ultimately our National Government to enact these changes, and make our roads safer for everyone.