kandui

Thanks for your responses. I guess the next step is to arrange a time to ride together. Primarily it's the safety in numbers issue I want to address, but also to get guys together who ride mainly on their own. I also ride mostly by myself and it gets a bit boring to be honest. With the Easter weekend coming and the glut of public holidays, I suggest a ride on the weekend of the 7.5? Saturday or Sunday, morning or later, let me know. Send me your email addresses and mobile numbers so we can correspond directly. zulurob@iafrica.com

I am thinking about getting a group going to organise rides on Table Mountain (primarily for City Bowl dwellers). It might end up as a club, depends on the uptake and how it goes. Anybody interested, feel free to get in touch.

Another idea might be to organise a hack of bushes close to the path so that the bastards can't hide. Keep a band of open space close to the path so that a would be mugger needs to show himself before he can jump a hiker or cyclist.

Interesting to see how this Thread I started has morphed along the way. There is an initiative underway to try and curb the crime on Table Mountain. Fact is, with the mountain stuck in the middle of an urban area, we won't get a crime free mountain in perpetuity. But we can try to and catch perps along the way. I am involved on the operational side as a privateer (my own time, no affiliations to any govt agency) and I would really appreciate some constructive input . Please, no bazookas, land mines or other unrealistic solutions. I know there have been many good suggestions put forward on this Thread, but to save me the hassle of scrolling back and forth, please put forward a short and sweet suggestion. I will collect them all and present them at our next meeting. Here are some ideas I have had. Some simple,some need some finance or thought. Please feel free to add or comment: 1. Banks of 2 way radios for daily rental at a nominal fee (a refundable deposit would apply) which hiking groups, walkers, cyclists can take with them on the mountain. Radios can be collected or dropped in locations such as Cable Station, Rhodes Memorial,Lions Head, Kirstenbosch. Radios can be returned anywhere for a refund, if you are going from A to B instead from A to A. 2. Interested people can sign up to an SMS group (most of us carry a mobile) which sends regular updates on conditions on the mountain, crime spots, emergency number,... 3. A dedicated website or a page added to an established site such as SAN Parks, Cape Nature Cape Town Tourism ,SA Tourism where one can get info on: current hot spots, emergency numbers, how to sign up to the SMS group, log incidents oneself etc 4. Erect warning signs on approach to known hot spot areas. The sign can include the dedicated Table Mountain emergency number.A good suggestion was a small concrete pillar (knee high) in a bright colour with an emergency number engraved. Located all over the mountain near hot spots, trail intersections and junctions. 5. Tracker Tag which one can rent for a period of time (for a day, a week or longer) with a deposit amount attached. I am hearing these devices can be priced as low as R20 (subsidised I would assume, but who cares). Real time tracking on a screen , the cost of which can be carried by a sponsor. For tourists the trackers can be available at the airport already. For locals, the trackers could be available from bike shops, Cape Union Mart, Cableway, San Parks office and many more outlets. Bulk will drive the price down and turn it into a cheap , but effective consumable. Anything cellphone based will most likely be the most effective tool as we all have them. Not sure whether the technology is cheap. I look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to Email me as well. I check my mail more often than I check the Hub. zulurob@iafrica.com

thanks. let me know via sms. i am not checking the hub all the time. 083 6319796

still got your 52km entry? i would be interested in taking it.

This notice is obsolete now. Have no idea where the delete button is.

Hi. Sorry, only saw the message now. My partner got a second opinion on his injury and is going to make the Epic after all. He was selling his entry for R8500, including the change of rider fee. Would have been a sweet deal.

sorry, can't help you with a lift, live in cape town. do you know anyone wanting to ride and needing a partner? My partner is out injured.

At the same time I am also looking for a partner for the Knysna 300 this coming weekend. This was to be a training ride for the Epic so I would like to participate, but they won't let me ride on my own. Race costs R 1550.

Hi. My Epic partner had an accident over the weekend which effectively put him out of action for at least 2 months. Now I am scrambling for a partner to ride the Epic. Riding with a stranger is not ideal, but I would rather do that than waste my training and lose my part of the entry fee. My partner will consider offers for his entry portion.

The Table Mountain Action Safety Group have called for a meeting at the Blockhouse on Sunday at 9am to discuss the security situation on the mountain.Meet at Rhodes Memorial at 8:30 to walk up together or go directly there. I heard it on Cape Talk this morning.

i spoke to some SAPS members over the weekend and they are keen as beans to get their hands dirty and clean out the mountain. They even have quad bikes parked at Caledon Square gathering dust,because it seems the commanding officers think that the Constables will go out and have fun on these bikes! The patrolling members of SAPS are motivated, but stifled by their Superiors.They have been asked internally to come up with ideas on how to fight crime on the mountain, but their inputs are not acted upon. This is where the work lies, to get the Top Brass to play ball. There is a meeting on the 17th, called by the MEC of Community Safety to discuss the crime on Table Mountain. I will try to attend.

There was another mugging on the slopes of Signal Hill this afternoon. On the City side close to the shooting range. This is a route I use 3-4 times a week. The incident will most likely not make the press, but we are sitting with a serious situation here. Some of the suggestions on how to curb the problem on this thread are pie in the sky stuff and a bit unrealistic (land mines etc). How about some constructive ideas and I will make a list and present them to second in charge at SAPS Central in Caledon Square this week.

A simple way of alerting other walkers or cyclists is by blowing on a whistle.If you see suspicious people ahead of you, blowing a whistle alerts them to the fact that you see them, taking away the element of surprise. It may not help in an ambush situation, but if you keep it in your mouth in dodgy areas, you may have a chance to sound the alarm when confronted. It could create confusion and give you a gap to escape.

Went for a ride with a fellow Hubber through the hot spots to Rhodes Memorial this morning at 7. Saw group a of 6 and 4 cyclists and a couple of 2's and 3's. Nice to see so many guys out, whether coincidental or not doesn't matter. The route was well used and showed a big fat Toffee to the crooks. Unfortunately a runner was stabbed on the lower slopes of Signal Hill (Sea Point side) between 9 and 10 this morning. We spoke to the SAN Parks guys close to the scene at length and one of them made the following observation, which I agree with and it makes good sense. When a cyclist is mugged and his bike is taken they tend to remain at the scene of the attack( shock, fear, possible injury). If uninjured he suggests you follow the suspect at a safe distance. If the suspect turns around and threatens to chase you, retreat. He won't try to get you- how can he with a bike he has to control,plus he wants to get the hell outa there. Keep following and you may get someone coming up the trail who you can alert to the situation by shouting and screaming. The suspect now has to deal with you and another person or persons and may decide to drop you bike and run.At some point the suspect will have to cross a road where you have a chance to alert traffic. You have a good chance of alerting someone in a built up area.

The Green Dot is at a clump of trees where there is a sharp right turn up a very steer track to a beacon. In my opinion and from what I have heard, this is one of the hot spots. The perps hide behind a tree and jump you. You are slow coming up the hill from Rhodes Memorial side and they can run down the hill, turn left at the junction you can see on the map and vanish across the freeway into Obs. The Red dot is an isolated corner,same as the pink dot. You are not that fast here and there is enough ground cover to hide here. This whole stretch is problematic, from the Pink dot, past the Green dot and further on to just short of Rhodes Memorial.

I want to speak to SAN Parks and SAPS to see what resources they are prepared to commit, if we as the community are going offer our help. Regular patrols are a good idea and I may ask for permission to do vehicle patrols as well and get keys for the boom at De Waal Drive and Tafelberg Road. I will check the CPF website and see that there is a space to log all incidents on the mountain for now.Perhaps a more formal website can be set up after that. Very Important: an incident will not form part of the statistic unless a case is opened with the Police.No matter how small or whether the suspect got away and you remained unharmed and nothing was taken, it is important to make the effort and give up the time to open a docket. That way SAPS can't say there is nothing happening on the mountain. They have to acknowledge the case opened. There is a Crime Forum meeting every Thursday morning at 8am at Caledon Square,open to the Public for those interested in statistics. All reported cases are marked on a map of the CIty Bowl and there is a sections for "Crimes on Table Mountain" which is read out by a Detective.

Thanks for replying. I don't mind meeting up this weekend when it's still fresh on everyone's mind. Anyone keen can email me on zulurob@iafrica.com We could meet at Rhodes Memorial at 9am and do a ride up to the Blockhouse and back. Show presence for 2 hours. Let me know.

Hi I leave from home in Gardens and head up to the Bengis Sports Field where there is a trail which takes you to the Deer Park car park. There is a track which heads towards the Pepper Pots along the side of the mountain. Follow this and at the first split, go left down the steep hill. (this is all above Vredehoek) At the next junction turn sharp right,almost back on yourself. Once you have turned a corner and get a view of Tygerberg, take the left split down the hill and up the other side. Carry on to the next split and head right, up the hill. Now you carry on up , up and up and get a view of the Blockhouse. On the way back down from the Blockhouse you can take the first split left which takes you up to Tafelberg Road. From Gardens it takes about 50 minutes to to the Blockhouse. I use this route a lot, at least 3 times a week. Check you out there.

Anyone out there keen to do a group ride in the Rhodes Memorial area on a weekend morning to show solidarity with attack victims and to show criminals who the mountain belongs to?

Would an sms based group not be a good idea, where cyclists can send a message to say they are on the mountain and get a reply back from other members who are out there too? It provides some sense of security if you can't join a group.

Hi Nomis I sit on the Cape Town CPF Executive and am also a member of the Tamboerskloof Neighbourhood Watch. As a NW we called a meeting at the end of last year to hear from SAPS and SAN Parks what their plans were for mountain security over the festive season. Let me say that as a CPF and NW we have an excellent working relationship with SAPS. They are committed and appreciate the fact that we as residents are prepared to not only complain, but get in there and help them. At the meeting the issue of jurisdiction was discussed and here is the first problem. Most of us (residents) and tourists think that any incident on Table Mountain needs to be reported to Caledon Square and in the end it is mostly that SAPS station which picks up all the flack. Their jurisdiction ends below Devils Peak, to make it simple let's say their boundary is the boom at the end of Tafelberg Road. From there it is Woodstock station who is responsible and then Mowbray for incidents close to Rhodes Memorial. You see the problem? 3 SAPS stations are in charge of Mountain security within a 1-2 km stretch and I bet you they are not looking at the mountain each morning thinking they have to patrol up there. They have enough problems where there are tar roads and houses. SAN Parks are making the right noises , but are hopelessly understaffed and in my opinion are not thinking out of the box when it comes to curbing the crime problem on the mountain. What if 4 police stations who faced the mountain (Central,Woodstock,Mowbray and Rondebosch) gave 1 member and SAN Parks gave 2 members to form a Table Mountain Response Team? Add one vehicle (preferably a bakkie) and you could deploy 2 in the vehicle and 2 two man teams on foot. Kit them out with radios (which they already have), get Cape Storm,First Ascent, or Cape Union Mart to sponsor some suitable clothing and hiking boots (SAN Parks may be sponsored by HiTec). Get the Camelbak agent to donate 6 Mules and you have a tight , well equipped unit which is deployed at known hot spots.The vehicle team have a cell phone and the number is advertised on forums, in outdoor and cycling shops, on the radio and on signs planted on Tafelberg Road and on the trails below and above. Crime occurs mostly in the daytime hours and patrols should start at sunrise and end at sunset. The team can be deployed all over the mountain slopes within a short time and focus on hot spots or move around as crime patterns shift. I think a team like that could prove highly effective and prove aspirational for other SAPS and SAN PArks members.

Hi. I ride on Table Mountain for 2 hours about 4 times a week.I pass through Deer Park from Gardens and head to the Blockhouse.I do long rides on the weekend. Training for the Epic. I am no racing snake, but ride to a plan. Weekday rides happen mainly after 4:30Pm

Hi . The situation on the mountain is not out of control yet, but if we don't get a handle on it soon, we will end up with a bigger problem.It is certainly a serious ,make no mistake. To turn the mountain into a secure area is virtually impossible as you can imagine. I am part of the CPF Executive in the City and I know there is a genuine willingness from SAPS to help the community, one has to keep on prodding until you get action. The PPA is also an organisation to get involved, good point. The main area where attacks take place is in the vicinity of the Blockhouse and Rhodes Memorial,so at the moment crime is limited to a smallish area.Problem is , nobody patrols here from what I can see.