Noisy motorcyclists infuriate Dorchester Heights residents

Residents fear that of one of their children might get runover by motorcylists who speed in the suburb. Picture: THEO JEPTHA

Fed-up residents of Dorchester Heights on Friday called for Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) to take action against rude  motorcyclists who are  allegedly turning the once quiet suburb into a race track, writes Msindisi Fengu.Residents have been writing to the Daily Dispatch complaining about the ruckus bikers make while they rev and ride  in an open space between Long Reach Road and Bunbury  Cross.

A resident, who asked not to be named, said it was a  nightmare living in the neighbourhood as bikers would on a  daily basis ride their “noisy” bikes even during at night.

“They are not people from other places, they live here … we  just can’t get peaceful nights,” she said.

“They are not just riding on open spaces – they are even  riding  between houses, BCM must do something about this and  quickly.”

She said BCM should also put speed humps along the  Smytheland Road, which runs  through the suburb, to stop  motorists from speeding

A+ Educare Centre Principal Kelly Hill  said  bikers were also putting the lives of children attending at the  centre at risk.

The centre is located next to the Smytheland Road.

“These are people living in the area and they ride these bikes  (at a high speed) even during the day,”  she said.

“We don’t allow children out during the day, but even so, if  their parents come to take them home … you know children  they can easily run to the street and get hurt by bikers,” she  said.

Hill said that even though traffic officers sometimes put up a  speed trap for bikers, they usually recognize it and slow down.

“But when it is not there they start speeding again.”

Tony Thompson said the bikers tended  to  brush off pleas from residents who ask them to tone it down.

“Living here is a nightmare,” he said.

“I’ve tried to talk to some of the bikers but they just look at me  with no response. I think it is time BCM does something about  this because it not nice living here anymore,” he said.

Another resident, Carl Spencer said in his  letter to the Dispatch that the problem of noisy motorbikes and  quad bikes has been exacerbated by the rezoning of the ground  floor of flats on the corner of Smytheland road and South Haven Street into a motorcycle distribution outlet – referring to  Buffalo Motorcycles, which is located on Smytheland Road.

“It does not make sense for BCM to allow a motor dealership  to be situated in a residential area.”

However, Buffalo Motorcycles Pierre le Roux  said the issue of bikers had nothing to with his business.

“Those motorcycles are not my products. We’ve also lived  here for 17 years and this problem has been going on for years,”  he said.

“We’ve just started this business about five months ago and  we live next door to it.”

He said that BCM had zoned the location of their store as a retail  place.

Municipal spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya  said the municipality was looking into the problem.

• Read the full story in Saturday’s Dispatch and Online