Cape Town danger areas

[Shebeen]

10 minutes ago, wolver said:

This will be an unpopular opinion... but shouldn't EVERYONE on the mountain have a permit?

Why do mountain bikers need one and not hikers? Not as if that money goes towards building the trails. And clumsy hikers falling off Lions Head on a regular basis actually costs money to be rescued.

More permits = more money for managing the park & and anyone without one gets kicked out. Hopefully that would also justify having a simpler process (in app purchase showing proof) of obtaining a permit rather than requiring someone to take a leave day to make the trip to the single location they're available to complete the process🙄

 

Edit: oh wait... it's a government department, rational thought doesn't apply.

Very few "national parks" where you can just waltz in and do your thing.

I'd be behind a simple online humanless permit system for hikers/trailrunners using the park. they work well for mtb trails.

 

but one thing I know for sure, hikers want stuff for free. would be huge uproar from that user group.

 

 

[Jewbacca]

3 hours ago, nonky said:

Yip, there were literally DOZENS preventing pedestrian access to Newlands Forest.  

Bear in mind there were also more man hours to  make up as the police weren't  needed at night to sort out drunken riff raff, drunk drivers/accidents, domestic violence etc as the curfew and no booze left them with very very  little to do

 

[droo]

6 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

There is also the case that you're 'not supposed' to be on the mountain after dark. 

This should then also apply to all those law abiding poachers, fire starters, "campers" etc. who need no supervision or direction at all...

[droo]

2 hours ago, Shebeen said:

I love how people still think online petitions do anything tangible.

Probably farting into the wind, but maybe they're using it to build a case of some sort. 

They seem like a reasonably well organised bunch, so we live in hope.

[Jewbacca]

6 minutes ago, droo said:

This should then also apply to all those law abiding poachers, fire starters, "campers" etc. who need no supervision or direction at all...

No one is supposed to be on the mountain after dark unless booked into a mountain club hut, doing a sanctioned event or is a ranger.

This includes night rides, 13 peaks/overnight runners/hikers etc

No one. 

No entry after dark is printed on the signs at all access and egress points right next to the no fires,no sleeping, no booze etc pictures

[droo]

1 minute ago, Jewbacca said:

No one is supposed to be on the mountain after dark unless booked into a mountain club hut, doing a sanctioned event or is a ranger.

This includes night rides, 13 peaks/overnight runners/hikers etc

No one. 

No entry after dark is printed on the signs at all access and egress points right next to the no fires,no sleeping, no booze etc pictures

For sure, but to send the rangers home on the basis that there's nobody there to police seems a bit optimistic / naive / flippin dumb. That's like sending all the breathalyser squads home at 2 cos that's when all the bars close.

[DJR]

3 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

No one is supposed to be on the mountain after dark unless booked into a mountain club hut, doing a sanctioned event or is a ranger.

This includes night rides, 13 peaks/overnight runners/hikers etc

No one. 

No entry after dark is printed on the signs at all access and egress points right next to the no fires,no sleeping, no booze etc pictures

I think they should take all those down and put up signs that forbid MUGGINGS, ROBBERIES, RAPE, ASSAULT AND MURDER. Maybe the real criminals will read it like we read the no booze and the no fires signs and comply? 😜

[Hairy]

3 minutes ago, DJR said:

I think they should take all those down and put up signs that forbid MUGGINGS, ROBBERIES, RAPE, ASSAULT AND MURDER. Maybe the real criminals will read it like we read the no booze and the no fires signs and comply? 😜

Can one include playing Kurt Darren into that list, but to include the entire area of the Western Cape.

[nyc_cpt]

Hi all! my wife and I are heading to Cape Town for much of January, and are bringing our road bikes with us. This will be our second time riding here, though this trip will be considerably longer than the last.

We're staying in the city bowl, planning on mostly sticking to routes around:

* Chappies/Noordhoek, climbing through Silvermine then back through Constantia/southern suburbs.

* The loop that looks fairly popular that goes from Glencairn down to Miller's Point on Main Rd, then loops around Plateau St to Misty Cliffs/Kommetjie, then back to Main Rd, then back to Kommetjie Rd to return to the Noordhoek area.

Looks like Kloof Neck Rd/Camps Bay Dr is the fastest way to get to these, rather than looping around to the waterfront.

We might start exploring longer loops further south (or potentially up in the northern suburbs) as we get comfortable with things, too. If we end up finding folks to group up with, maybe out to Stellenbosch.

We'll mostly be riding together, though I may ride solo occasionally. We normally ride in/around New York City, and are familiar with psychotic drivers, roads covered in glass, etc.

If anyone has any safety considerations (hotspots, particularly bad roads to avoid, etc) around those areas, would love to hear them! Or, obviously, favorite cafe stops along the way (outside Noordhoek Farm Village & Bootlegger).

Thanks! So excited to be riding again in your gorgeous city.

[Zebra]

On your around Cape Point ride, there is ONE r-e-a-l notable ‘hotspot’ to avoid:

When passing Misty Cliffs, direction Kommetjie (at 4-way-stop, contine straight on…) or Ocean View (meaning turning right at 4-way-stop), DO NOT turn right over the short hill, and on past the SIDE of Ocean View - a repeated crime hotspot for bike theft and or cellphone theft; SAFE option is straight over 4-way stop, through little suburb of KOMMETJIE, and THEN on towards Sun Valley.

Very real chance of bike theft on this short stretch, rather avoid…

Enjoy

Chris

[OVERDRIVE]

Cape Town bad, yes. But better than Pretoria 

[ChrisF]

13 minutes ago, Zebra said:

On your around Cape Point ride, there is ONE r-e-a-l notable ‘hotspot’ to avoid:

When passing Misty Cliffs, direction Kommetjie (at 4-way-stop, contine straight on…) or Ocean View (meaning turning right at 4-way-stop), DO NOT turn right over the short hill, and on past the SIDE of Ocean View - a repeated crime hotspot for bike theft and or cellphone theft; SAFE option is straight over 4-way stop, through little suburb of KOMMETJIE, and THEN on towards Sun Valley.

Very real chance of bike theft on this short stretch, rather avoid…

Enjoy

Chris

 

That section straight accross, at the crossing, has some of thee best photo spots 👍

[Robbie Stewart]

On 12/16/2023 at 12:17 AM, nyc_cpt said:

Hi all! my wife and I are heading to Cape Town for much of January, and are bringing our road bikes with us. This will be our second time riding here, though this trip will be considerably longer than the last.

We're staying in the city bowl, planning on mostly sticking to routes around:

* Chappies/Noordhoek, climbing through Silvermine then back through Constantia/southern suburbs.

* The loop that looks fairly popular that goes from Glencairn down to Miller's Point on Main Rd, then loops around Plateau St to Misty Cliffs/Kommetjie, then back to Main Rd, then back to Kommetjie Rd to return to the Noordhoek area.

Looks like Kloof Neck Rd/Camps Bay Dr is the fastest way to get to these, rather than looping around to the waterfront.

We might start exploring longer loops further south (or potentially up in the northern suburbs) as we get comfortable with things, too. If we end up finding folks to group up with, maybe out to Stellenbosch.

We'll mostly be riding together, though I may ride solo occasionally. We normally ride in/around New York City, and are familiar with psychotic drivers, roads covered in glass, etc.

If anyone has any safety considerations (hotspots, particularly bad roads to avoid, etc) around those areas, would love to hear them! Or, obviously, favorite cafe stops along the way (outside Noordhoek Farm Village & Bootlegger).

Thanks! So excited to be riding again in your gorgeous city.

The peninsula image shows crime hotspots in red and amber. Green is okay to cycle.

The city bowl image shows crime hotspots with many bike hijackings and muggings taking place. 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Robbie Stewart

[Jewbacca]

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.

[NC_lurker]

37 minutes 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.

There have been a couple of incidents climbing from the Scarborough side past red Hill settlement. As a rule I stick to going up from Simonstown side & only down on the interior side.

 

[StripesOfYellow]

4 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

The peninsula image shows crime hotspots in red and amber. Green is okay to cycle.

The city bowl image shows crime hotspots with many bike hijackings and muggings taking place. 

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?