The ongoing problems faced by South Queensferry locals with boy racers who race up and down the eastern end of the High Street in the Hawes Car Park will be examined by the council with a view to finding practical solutions.
The local residents lodged a petition, and two of them – Andy Scott and Anne Purcell – attended the Transport and Environment Committee meeting on Thursday. During the three minutes allotted to them they explained that drivers of cars and bikes cause a nuisance with noise from their engines as well as loud music, often into the early hours of the morning.
Mr Scott showed a video and councillors could clearly hear the loud noise from car horns and engines. He said: “This was a competition, effectively, between three bikes and three cars as to who’s going to be the loudest tonight.
“And it went on for the best part of an hour, on and off, and was very distressing to hear.”
The petitioners said they appreciated that speed tables had been installed in the car park and areas of nearby road, but these were now used by those on motor bikes who travel at high speed over them for fun.
Mr Scott said: “The main thing is that in any evening, there could be up to 100 people in the carpark who take it over.
“They make noise, music, shouting, basically make it very unwelcome for residents, tourists, guests of the local hotels and restaurants to come in.”
He also added that one local woman had been sleeping in her bath in order to have more space between her and the road noise outside.
Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, Convener of the Transport and Environment Committee, asked what the mix between cars and bikes was, and when the issue is at its height as well as whether there are any issues with displacement – meaning that if the Hawes Car Park is closed will this problem simply move elsewhere in the royal burgh.
Mr Scott replied: “As far as the makeup of the cars and bikes, the whole car park is full, most of it.” He said that they often start around six in the evening, and the disturbance runs on until about three or four in the morning.
Though numbers decreased in the early hours, he said only a handful of bikes or cars could ‘completely destroy people’s evenings’.
Cllr Lesley MacInnes asked how the police response to neighbourhood complaints had been.
Mr Scott replied that whenever the police showed up to the car park, “you’ve never seen better behaved people in your life.”
He added: “And then, as soon as the police car goes, it all starts. In fact, often it’s louder because they’ve been kept back for a while.”
Cllr Kevin Lang said: “I obviously know a bit about this, as a local ward councillor. And I can tell you, the situation in town is awful. It’s awful, and it’s getting worse.”
Councillors unanimously agreed a Liberal Democrat proposal which responded to the petition.
It asked council officers to submit a report in four months laying out “what practical options” the council could take to address the issues raised in the petition, without pushing the racers elsewhere in the city.
And, it asks that council interim director of Place, Gareth Barwell, writes to Police Scotland asking what action is being taken to address the issues in the community.
Further, it asked council officers to explore getting the council more tools to tackle vehicle racing, including speed cameras, and ask Transport Scotland to help enable this.
Last week, Cllr Jenkinson said that, beyond being anti-social, the behaviour of the drivers was dangerous.
He said then: “No one should have to endure repeatedly unsafe and inconsiderate driving in their local community.”
In 2024, it was reported that crowds of up to 100 people were assembling until the early morning along the Queensferry waterfront on an almost nightly basis.
And this May anti-social behaviour orders were handed down to drivers in relation to revving their engines and otherwise making “excessive noise” at night in the area.
by Joe Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
Alex Cole Hamilton addressing a public meeting in South Queensferry about “boy racers” in September 2024
5 June 2025 Boy racers congregate at the car park at 10pm.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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