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FED-UP residents of Dorchester Heights yesterday called for Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) to take action against rude motorcyclists who are allegedly turning the once-quiet suburb into a race track.

Several of them have written 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.

One 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 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 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 the centre, which is located next the Smythelands Road, at risk.

“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 into the street and get hurt by bikers,” she said.

Hill said even though traffic officers sometimes put up a speed trap for bikers, they usually recognise 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.”

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,” Spencer said.

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

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

“(Smytheland Road) is a main road and we generally try and not impede on the traffic flow in such roads in terms of the national guidelines on roads. However, we have other alternatives to speed bumps that we are looking into – based on the traffic study that we have undertaken – seeing that there is development in the area,” Ngwenya said.

He said the plan would include putting mini circles on intersections. “Residents are welcome to interact with our traffic and law enforcement should they deem it necessary to regulate speed,” he said. — By MSINDISI FENGU, msindisif@dispatch.co.za