Residents call for strategic approach to tackle speedsters

Frustrated Hout Bay residents called on the City to implement a strategic approach to clamp down on motorists who are still speeding and causing noise pollution in the area.

They voiced their concerns at a public meeting organised by the City of Cape Town at the Civic Centre on Tuesday, March 11.

Cars racing down Victoria and Harbour roads have been a problem since 2022 and residents say there is a long history of complaints to the City that have gone nowhere ("Speedsters still plague Hout Bay, Sentinel News, February 21). 

At the meeting, residents were briefed on feedback from the City's urban mobility and public safety units on the data they've captured over the past months regarding speeding, noise pollution and the practicality of implementing a traffic circle at Victoria Road. 

Guest speaker and transport network manager for the City, Sean Glass, provided feedback on the measures that the urban mobility department were instructed to implement in the past months. 

"We focused on two broad categories, one being physical traffic calming measures and the other being a traffic circle at the intersection of Victoria and Helgarda road, which is a major arterial route carrying substantial levels of traffic from Hout Bay and Camps Bay. One consequence of installing a circle where flows are not balanced is that we can create serious congestions."

Mr Glass said Victoria Road is a class two major arterial route, which he described as the second highest classification of roadway with only a freeway being more highly classified.

"We consider class four and five routes, which are minor residential roads, as appropriate roads to install traffic calming measures. However, for roads considered class three, major arterial and freeway, traffic calming measures are not an appropriate form of traffic control as these roads should provide mobility.

Instead we think there should be some speed control and traffic law enforcement implemented on these kinds of roads. Therefore we don't see the benefit of replacing the signal with a circle, which would cost R5 million rand, but when it comes to controlling speed but we will look further into this issue."

Commissioner for public safety and operational coordination, Petrus Roberts, gave a presentation on the data they've captured regarding speeding, noise pollution and their traffic operations in the Hout Bay area since last year. 

"I can confirm that I've heard many WhatsApp recordings from residents of these motorcycle noises and loud vehicles pulling away. I need the community to sit down with me so we can come up with a strategic and integrated plan so we can catch the suspects at these hot spots," he said.  

There were 4761 speed cases and 111 speed checks recorded on Victoria Road last year according to a graph Mr Roberts presented at the meeting. 

There were also three vehicle noise assessments conducted on Victoria Road with the aid of the City's Health Department in November and December last year as well as one last Friday evening March 7. 

Mr Roberts said during an integrated drunk driving and by-law drone operation last Friday, there were six arrests for drunk driving, 4 suspensions for unroadworthy vehicles and 72 speed offences. 

Resident Frank Krummacher said he witnesses racing behaviour at the intersection of Victoria Road every day after he played a recording he made from his front door of loud vehicles speeding away.

"A traffic circle would solve a lot of these problems. I've noticed that the red traffic lights are used as a go signal for these racers. I can assure you speed is not always linked to noise, a lot of these bikes make the maximum noise when they are standing still at the red light and revving so hard that their rev limiter kicks in," he said. 

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said he's noticed a pattern of motorcyclists and modified vehicles racing late at night.

"Over the last eight years there's definitely been a phenomenon of noisy motorcycle groups and racers in Hout Bay. I've heard motorcycle runs on a week night usually after 10pm and before 1am, where they drive at insane speeds and they appear to know where the cameras are and where they are not," he said.

Ward councillor Rob Quintas reiterated that there are no plans to build a traffic circle at the Victoria Road intersection. 

"I can't in no good conscience prioritise a traffic circle when it comes to budget. We have to also consider our critical City resources. It would be a great waste of expenditure to simply curb sound," he said.

There are plans to hold a follow-up meeting to provide feedback in the next quarter, Mr Quintas said.