Cape Town danger areas

[Mamil]

5 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

Is the main part of Red Hill a hotspot?

I obliviously ride over there alone all the time in both directions.

I knew there had been some issues with hikers up near the dam, but that is WAY off the main road.

It is a fantastic climb from both sides and is a good way to link the atlantic side with the False Bay side when doing a loop.

I ride there often. No problems so far. Residents greet, the artist at the bottom of the Scarborough side likes it if you stop and admire his stuff, kids ask for "tjoklids". 

Always a first time I suppose.

[Robbie Stewart]

53 minutes ago, LazyTrailRider said:

What’s the red section in/next to Tokai? The tar road on the way to the mast I assume?

Schpaansemat road / M42. That stretch past the US Consulate and Pollsmoor prison. Regular bike jack spot.

[MongooseMan]

59 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Schpaansemat road / M42. That stretch past the US Consulate and Pollsmoor prison. Regular bike jack spot.

How regular? I’m seriously curious, because I heard of 2 incidents in 2022 and none since then. I do that road alone fairly regularly and have never felt unsafe (safer than the alternative, which is Main Road, for sure), so interested to know if there have been recent issues.

[SSCC]

1 hour ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Schpaansemat road / M42. That stretch past the US Consulate and Pollsmoor prison. Regular bike jack spot.

Let’s not get carried away. There have been a couple of incidents on that section. Regular makes it sound like it happens weekly which is just not the case. 
 

Same for Redhill. It’s happened before but it’s not a regular thing and I’d be perfectly happy riding there alone. 
 

Avoid the Hout Bay township area for sure because there are much better ways to ride up to or down from Constantia Nel  

 

[Robbie Stewart]

@MongooseMan @SSCC

I'm not sure about the regularity to be honest, going on what I can recall of previous incidents. If things have changed then that is great to hear. I haven't ridden in the south for quite some time so the risk factor is from what I've read here and seen in local news. 

[Zebra]

Interesting; I LIVE in HB, and never had a problem riding past I.Y. (township), but heard of ONE incident on a day a car had its window smashed, too.

Though most rides I do are over Chappies, else S’Bossie.

Because a Red Ant bakkie (anti-land-invasion) is parked there literally 24-7, it sure seems like that was an isolated incident.

Whereas I personally know of a few bikejackings on the (side) road past Ocean View.

Good to know all this feedback

Chris

Edited December 17, 2023 by Zebra
Spelling

[Wannabe]

I've heard unconfirmed reports of a bikejacking on Helshoogte today, at the corner/turn after Neil Ellis. 3 perps involved. 

[ChrisF]

3 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

@MongooseMan @SSCC

I'm not sure about the regularity to be honest, going on what I can recall of previous incidents. If things have changed then that is great to hear. I haven't ridden in the south for quite some time so the risk factor is from what I've read here and seen in local news. 

 

And that is the positive from these threads.

 

PERSPECTIVE

 

 

So easy to remember the news headlines.  For me it is the 2 or 3 muggings along Bottelary in the last 18 months.  But hundreds cycle here every week.

 

Sure, there is always some risk.  But I dont see Bottelary as a "hot spot"

 

 

Back to the South - from the feedback above I feel comfortable to try Redhill, from Simonstown side 

[CapSizer]

8 hours ago, StripesOfYellow said:

So I'm guessing then that stretch of the cycle path is still pretty unsafe to get through? Is there any alternative for getting from Milnerton side into CBD that doesn't involve using the N1?

I use the bus for this purpose.  I need to get to Rosebank, so I get off/on at the Woodstock bus stop.  However, during peak travel hours it is probably not going to be practical to find a spot on the bus.  If your travel times are a bit more flexible, using the bus for the risky part is a viable option.

[Mamil]

12 hours ago, CapSizer said:

I use the bus for this purpose.  I need to get to Rosebank, so I get off/on at the Woodstock bus stop.  However, during peak travel hours it is probably not going to be practical to find a spot on the bus.  If your travel times are a bit more flexible, using the bus for the risky part is a viable option.

I never thought if doing that. Is there a rule of thumb as to how long you wait for a bus on a Sunday?

[lechatnoir]

26 minutes ago, Mamil said:

I never thought if doing that. Is there a rule of thumb as to how long you wait for a bus on a Sunday?

there is a timetable. It used to be reliable when I bussed about

[CapSizer]

21 minutes ago, Mamil said:

I never thought if doing that. Is there a rule of thumb as to how long you wait for a bus on a Sunday?

Dunno, never done it on a Sunday, but use the MyCiti app to get an idea of schedules.  If you want to make sure of avoiding risky areas (Paarden Island being deserted on Sundays) you may want to get on at Zoarvlei and off again at the Civic Centre.  The trunk route carries buses from the T01 and T02 routes, and you can get on either.  During less busy periods I think the buses run at 20 minute intervals on each route, and during peak periods much more frequently.  The big unknown is how full the bus is likely to be, and this can be a bit random.  During peak periods in the week they are packed, but one can generally get on OK after 8 in the morning.  I would expect the buses not to be very full early on a Sunday morning, but YMMV.

[milky4130]

19 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

It's a roll of the dice. Some peeps have it good, others get hit.

Edit - there was some talk about crossing the N1 by the Century City train station and cycling through Kensington into Pinelands. Dunno how safe that is, haven't tried but it sounds super dodgy to me.

Why do you think it would be dodgy. I've done this before & know of people that commute daily using that route. So curios to know why you feel this way? I mean this route doesnt appear on the hotspot map either.

[nonky]

18 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Schpaansemat road / M42. That stretch past the US Consulate and Pollsmoor prison. Regular bike jack spot.

IIRC, also incidents further along / north / closer to Constantia:  near to Constantia Uitsig - the infamous Taxi-knappers.

There was also an incident in the vicinity of the Alphen Hotel in the last year or so.

[nonky]

Some good news, not sure if reported here before:  

https://www.capetownetc.com/news/lions-head-suspect-arrested/

 

One suspect was arrested on the Lion’s Head section of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) after he was found in possession of a firearm earlier this week.

In a coordinated operation during the early hours of Thursday morning, the Sea, Air, and Mountain (SEAM) special operations rangers and its canine unit, alongside the Visitor Safety Rangers, City of Cape Town (CoCT) Tourism Unit, drone contractor, and the CBCSI local security company, conducted a sting operation along Lion’s Head.

The suspect, merely 5 meters away from one of the SEAM operators with the canine, was spotted on the Jeep Track.

The quick response following the release of the SEAM canine, Leah, was pivotal in pursuing the suspect, eventually apprehending him. 

Once the suspect was detained, a knife was found in the suspects possession, as well as a realistic looking imitation firearm.

The CoCT provided valuable support, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) promptly arrived to assist in the arrest procedures.

This success showcases the valuable role of the Intel Interpretation team of the TMNPs Operations Room who played a critical role in developing this joint operation which was tried and tested for many months and has concluded in successful apprehension of the suspect.

This also marks a significant milestone in ensuring the safety of park visitors, underscoring the effectiveness of collaborative law enforcement efforts by the newly reestablished Table Mountain Safety Forum. 

Meanwhile, mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith has called on anyone who believes that they may have fallen prey to the suspect to come forward.

‘If any person has been attacked or threatened by a knife wielding or armed gunman, in the park over recent months, please contact the investigating officer at Cape Town Central SAPS urgently,’ he posted on Facebook.

‘If you can correctly identify the attacker in a photo lineup, we can successfully link him to additional charges.’

 

[babse]

23 minutes ago, nonky said:

IIRC, also incidents further along / north / closer to Constantia:  near to Constantia Uitsig - the infamous Taxi-knappers.

There was also an incident in the vicinity of the Alphen Hotel in the last year or so.

A few wkends ago, on my way down OKW on spaansemaaaa just before the prison,  I caught the attention a few younsters up to no good. They quickly made their way towards the road in my direction. I saw them early and managed to turn around.

 

I stopped law enforcement further up the road (going over the m3 towards main road), they went to check them out.

 

That stretch is def a zone you need to be wakker for the bike jacking taxis and pedestrians.