The noisy revving of engines at midnight drag races is causing sleepless nights for residents around Durban’s famous Florida Road precinct.
They say frequent drag races in Morningside have resulted in several car crashes late at night and they fear cars could smash into buildings and flats.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said the noise was depriving them of restful sleep.
“If you’re sitting at home at night trying to do some reading, studying or sleeping after a long day, you’re going to have a problem. There is a serious issue with drag racing on Sandile Thusi Road,” said the resident.
“What’s worse is that people speed with loud exhausts in the middle of the night. From Overport down there are a lot of robots, but they speed right through them.”
Ward councillor Ernest Smith has been receiving complaints from residents and called for police to be deployed.
Smith said after the murder of musician AKA in February, he requested an increase in metro officials and a permanent station.
“The police did increase visibility in the area, but it decreased depending on the day of the week. The drag racing is continuing in areas such as Lower Morningside and Umgeni Road. I have been requesting roadblocks and police visibility, but it has been ongoing,” said Smith.
A manager of a restaurant in Florida Road said the revving of cars and motorbikes had always been popular but had become more of an issue recently.
“The motorbikes are very loud and some customers like it and some don’t. People go out for different reasons; some go out for music and dancing, while others just want to have a peaceful atmosphere, especially during the week.
“People drive big, loud cars here, and some, when they are a bit drunk, make a status statement and want to be seen. That normally happens during the late hours of the night. When there are metro police around, they don’t do that,” he said.
In some instances drivers have lost control of their vehicles and crashed into light poles while speeding.
“There are speed bumps, but when they speed, they do so just so their vehicles make a bursting sound and make noise.”
Senzo Mthalane, who regularly goes to Florida Road restaurants, said the revving was part of the entertainment.
“I don’t mind them, [but] for residents who have to experience this every night, it does become an issue and it’s understandable they would be unhappy about it,” he said.
Metro police spokesperson Col Boysie Zungu said racing mostly took place on Sandile Thusi and Umgeni roads. He said police had on numerous occasions been contacted by disgruntled residents for help.
“We do respond and have to increase visibility in those areas. One challenge is that racing shifts from one area to another and is seasonal. This means one minute it’s there, and the next it’s just quiet. That is difficult to police, and we rely on information from residents to alert us.”
Florida Road Urban Improvement Precinct precinct manager Andrew Fynn said they had not received official complaints from residents or business owners in the area. He said revving does take place but when police or security officers respond to complaints, the speedsters have disappeared.
“They just come, make a noise and leave, so you can’t really police that,” he said.
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