A meeting will be held on Wednesday evening, 18 September 2024, which will be a public discussion on how to stop “boy racers” in South Queensferry.
It has long been a problem at the Hawes Brae area, where drivers gather until the early hours revving engines, tooting horns and driving at speed up the Hawes Brae, but residents and local businesses hope that some real results will come from a meeting this week.
Drivers of cars and motor bikes (often in vehicles bearing L plates) have congregated for several years now at the Newhalls Road Car Park in South Queensferry. This summer the meetings became more frequent, and the anti-social behaviour is having an impact on local people and their businesses.
Andy Scott a local resident said: “This has long been a problem, but it has escalated substantially this summer and is badly affecting the local residents and businesses, particularly those living by the pier facing the waterfront.
“Gangs of youths are racing in cars or on motor bikes, revving their engines, tooting horns, burning tyres and driving at excessive speeds in and around the car park and up Hawes Brae. There are often at least 10 – 15 cars carrying out such criminal actions for periods of time, blasting music from 9 or 10pm through to all hours of the night into at least 2am in the morning (and sometimes beyond).
“This behaviour is badly impacting many people, some of whom now suffer from sleep deprivation, anxiety, palpitations and even resorting to sleeping in bathrooms and so on. It has even got to the stage of people looking to sell up and move,
“The police from time to time catch certain offenders and they are charged, but this never deters the miscreants for long and the loitering and anti-social behaviour soon returns.
“We have asked for the car park to be closed and speed bumps put in time and time again, but the Council keeps making excuses – costs, road traffic laws etc.
“Eventually, after a lot of pressing, a meeting took place in early June between three residents and Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP), when he was shown the video evidence and told about the very bad effects of the behaviour on the local residents. He was genuinely shocked by this, and said that he would have the car park closed and would call a public meeting.”
All interested are invited to a Public Meeting on Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 7pm in South Queensferry Community Centre in School Lane.
The meeting will be chaired by Alex Cole Hamilton MSP who has also invited Police Scotland, a representative from The City of Edinburgh Council, and the community council. Local councillor Lewis Younie and the MP Christine Jardine are expected to attend.
A meeting was held in August 2023 (and a follow up meeting was held in October 2023) with local residents and local representatives to discuss the same issues. Following that meeting several actions were put on the To Do list.
These included the following points:
- Possible additional CCTV camera(s) in the Hawes Car Park – PC MacLeod to investigate
- Checking if the CCTV Control Centre will monitor live the CCTV camera(s) in the Hawes Car Park – PC MacLeod and Cllr Lewis Younie to investigate
- Feasibility of speed tables being installed in Newhalls Road, the High Street and Hawes Car park – Dave Sinclair, Council officer, to investigate
- Possibility of a legal order be obtained for closing the car park at night – Cllr Lewis Younie to investigate
- Larger signs in the Hawes Car park re the CCTV camera(s) and anti-social behaviour – Keith Giblett and Lewis Younie to investigate
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