Lansdowne residents say they urgently need more traffic calming measures to curb reckless driving in the area.
More than 100 people attended a public meeting at the Lansdowne civic centre on Wednesday April 17.
Resident Oswald Lynch said drivers sped up and down Adisson Road with no regard for children going to and from school.
He wants the City of Cape Town to place speed humps at all major thoroughfares.
The City’s director of policing and enforcement coordination, Robbie Roberts, said residents had reported 32 traffic offences to the City’s call centre since the start of the year but that was not enough to build speed humps in the area.
Another resident, Kashief Magedien, said motorists did not slow down for children trying to cross Plantation, Lansdowne and Wetton roads.
Traffic officers were needed at intersections to stop reckless driving by taxi drivers.
Lansdowne ward councillor Mark Kleinschmidt suggested residents use the “walking bus” to get children safely to school. Parents and caregivers volunteer to escort children in groups in the walking bus.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, and social services, said there were 26 intersection hot spots in the city that needed traffic officials.
He said part of the City’s wanted to recruit 80 neighbourhood watch members to be trained to deal with traffic issues at intersections.
Speeding motorists and taxi drivers were fined, but the system could only work if those fines were paid, he said.
“The City issues between 130 000 and 180 000 fines a month, and the sad thing is that the taxi drivers do not pay fines; they only do so when we catch them on the road with a warrant for their arrest. They pay it, and then the cycle starts again, and if they get locked up, the owner merely finds another driver.”
Mr Smith said laws needed to change for things to improve.
Godfrey Koff, from Pinate Estate, complained about the poor state of the soccer field in Blomvlei Road. He said children were afraid to play there because of the thorns.
Nabeweya Ryklief said Lansdowne police took too long to respond to an incident or didn’t respond at all.
“I have complained about the vagrancy as well, and now they are in the park where the children must play. What about the dumping, is there a plan to increase refuse bins in the area?”
Chairperson of the Lansdowne Community Police Forum (CPF), Zaida Samuels, said that when residents called the Lansdowne police for help they should ask for the name of the officer they spoke to so that it could be followed up if need be.
“If you are not getting the service that you need then you can follow up. Preferably use the 10 111 number so that you can get a reference number and your complaint can be recorded as data,” she said.