Raw roar

EXCESSIVELY raucous weekend motor vehicular traffic on the 450 metre stretch of South Terrace from Wray Avenue roundabout to the South Street intersection makes one glad to see it replaced on Monday mornings with far quieter workaday traffic.

Yet these excessively noisy weekenders – motorcyclists are the worst offenders – may be violating no traffic rules as long they stay below speed limits. 

Installing a couple of speed humps along this as yet unencumbered length of roadway should fully ensure that no driver or motorcyclist speeded in bursts exceeding 50kmh.  

This may be judged by determining the effectiveness of the half-dozen speed humps for some years in use on the 1.1km stretch of South Terrace from South Street to Douro Road roundabout.

However, the real problem of this weekend vehicular chaos along the above roadway and on many similar stretches of road is not so much speeding: rather it is the infernal racket of very loud, souped-up engines and noise-enhancing mufflers. 

Noise of this kind is obviously sought after by the owners of these vehicles, and, for all I know, having loud engines is not illegal.

Yet I would argue it is now time to tone down these noise levels in South Terrace and in all Fremantle roadways and, for that matter, everywhere else in Perth.  

To conclude, state and local governments would gain one hell of a lot of strong support if they went in big time for motor vehicular engine noise abatement.

This would not remain a feud just between a few crazy old-timers like myself and the Proud Boys, but would I feel relatively soon become one in which most residents – whether oldies, young folks, parents, married, single, shop-owners, street performers, you name it– will join the throng saying we have had quite enough of enormously loud car and motorcycle engines – whether on weekends or not!

C Dortch
Howard St, Fremantle

Sensible

WHAT a fantastic and sensible letter from Steve Grady. 

his suggestions hit the spot. This should apply to all state housing complexes.

We hear so much about the homeless, and there are so many desperate cases deserving of accommodation, but some of the people put into housing abuse it and those around them. 

Sadly, they give state housing a bad name and I’m afraid all the tenants get tarred with the same brush.

I live in state housing, have been given a lovely home, have great neighbours, but every so often one rotten apple will appear and cause disruption.

Luckily through a united front we have made our concerns known and state housing have dealt with the problems when they occur. 

Admittedly not always as quickly as we would like but obviously there are constraints so far as the law is concerned. 

Housing should be given to those who genuinely want it and, as Mr Grady said, given to people who are more interested in trying to live a productive and respectful Life.

Sue Loftus
Beach St, Fremantle