Men and Motor Cycles of Gallows Hill reproduced with kind permission of Mrs Mendel

Gallows Hill Archives:  1994

Men and Motorcycles of Gallows Hill

What did we see in our rear-window mirrors during the last sixty years that possibly made us tighten the grip on our steering wheels, and possibly made us perspire just that little bit more? Quite likely the men and motorcycles of Cape Town Traffic Department.

It all started way back in 1926, the genesis of Cape Town’s Traffic Department. In those years it was a municipal department with a staff of three, accommodated in a tiny office building, with a single inspection pit. The Department grew and seven years later developed into Cape Town’s Traffic Control Department. A “big leap” was taken in 1933 when a large new building was erected, which was to be the Department’s Headquarters. This building still stands today, almost unchanged and in it’s original form, adjacent to Ebenezer Road in Green Point. Also known as “Gallows Hill”, this being the road of directly opposite the Department (somewhat appropriate?). Apart from a larger office staff, the Force had expanded to thirty Constable Inspectors in 1933. This formed the nucleus of the force, which gradually took over the entire regulation of traffic within the limits of the Cape Town Municipality. Previously this had been controlled and manned by the South African Police. The issuing of Driving Licences, which was up to that time in the hands of Provincially appointed Examiners, was transferred to six officers of the newly formed Traffic Control Department. It was thus in 1933 that traffic control began to become meaningful in the true sense of the word for Cape Town’s motorists.

The advantage of using motorcycles was realised, and it was also in that year that the mounted motorcycle patrol was begun, with the purchases of three “Colonial Model” 1000 c.c. B.S.A.V. twin motorcycles with sidecars. They were ridden by men in khaki uniform with caps or, on occasions, pith helmets. Mounted on these British behemoths, the pairs (one man acting as a witness), they patrolled a town whose traffic certainly moved at a much more leisurely pace, compared to the present day maëlstrom of vehicles on the city’s roads. Today’s vehicles, many of which seem to be continuously jockeying for position, often flaunt basic traffic laws and drive too dangerously. According to statistics, it appears that innumerable accidents are cause primarily through selfishness and impatience. Many a time a sort of motor-sized “Russian Roulette” situation seems to exist, which the Traffic Department tries its best to control. Not that accidents did not occur in those far away years. Even then there were numerous cases of drunken driving reported in our daily newspapers, along with speeding and parking offences as well as other traffic misdemeanours.

But let us look back on the motorcycles and their riders that have helped in no small measure to control the traffic in Cape Town over the last six decades. Following the initial purchase of the three B.S.A.’s with sidecars, five Harley-Davidsons, also with sidecars, were added to the fleet in 1936. By 1939 the first four solo Harley-Davidsons of 1000 c.c.’s were acquired by the Department. These new machines were used mainly for patrol work and for pursuit in cases of serious speeding. They were easier to handle at high speeds and were much more suitable in busy areas than the combination machines (which were phased out in that year). According to an advert of the then agents, Robb Motors, they were claimed to be able to exceed 150 k.p.h.? A somewhat optimistic claim, which I suppose nevertheless had the desired effect on motorists, although in fact very few cars in those years could equal either the top speed or the acceleration of a Harley-Davidson.

In September of that year World War 2 broke out and many of Cape Town’s motorcyclists were eager to enrol in the newly formed Dispatch Riding Corps. This included members of Cape Town’s Traffic Department, quite a few of whom joined up and saw service in East Africa, Madagascar, North Africa and Italy. They acquitted themselves very well in all the combat areas, most of them returning after the War (with their well-earned decorations) to the Traffic Department. There they continued to ride Harley-Davidsons in civilian life.

With World War 2 ending in September of 1945, the Traffic Department purchased a further twenty 1000 c.c. solo Harley-Davidsons from the Union Defence Force, surplus unused war stock. (The larger 1200 c.c. Harleys that were made especially for the Defence Force, were all fitted with sidecars and therefore not suitable). There were now sixty officers in the Traffic Department, with a total of six Harley-Davidsons in use. In short, Harleys were ridden exclusively until the fifties, when twenty British Ariels were purchased by the Department to augment their fleet. Although fairly reliable, their hand clutches were weak and not suitable for procession riding; as a result they were not re-ordered in future. The comfort and reliability of the Harleys at that time was far superior. Their price however, was even then, as now, much higher than any other motorcycle.

In 1956 a dozen British B.S.A. 650 c.c. “Golden Flash” motorcycles were added to the fleet. These proved dependable, comparatively light and were easy to ride, resulting in more B.S.A.’s being ordered from time to time in the sixties. But by the latter half of the sixties their quality had dropped considerably, and Harleys were again ordered in some numbers. Also in the sixties, 700 c.c. Royal Enfields were acquired on a trial basis. These unfortunately proved both mechanically troublesome and bad handling machines. As a point of interest, they were the first motorcycles to be equipped with radios. Bulky units, not at all like today’s sophisticated long-distance equipment, but these radios were nevertheless a great aid towards improved traffic control. Safety helmets were first evaluated and later accepted by the Department in the mid-fifties, and became law for all motorcyclists some years later.

These days the training of new recruits is very comprehensive. There is now a well-organised Traffic Department school (started in 1958) which teaches a five-month course in all aspects of Traffic Control, including a one-week intensive course in motorcycle riding. In addition there is a three-year traffic officer’s correspondence course available for those men who want to study further. A far cry from the thirties and forties, when a positive reply to the question “have you got a motorcycle licence?” was an important entrance qualification to the Force! Once accepted, the new recruit would ride with an experienced motorcyclist for a few weeks, before “qualifying”. In fact, often, the sooner the novice qualified the better, in the eyes of his mentor, who at times regarded them as a nuisance, interfering with their other duties.

By all accounts many chases took place in those early days. The Harleys were, as mentioned, purportedly faster than nearly all the cars on the road at that time; the maximum speed of most of the American cars before the sixties being in the region of 125 k.p.h. What’s more, the Harleys had a device for locking the speedometer needle on passing an erring motorist, which would provide sufficient proof of the vehicle’s speed at the time. This was, I suppose, more exciting and adventurous than today’s trapping device, not to mention inanimate hidden cameras, but then not nearly as accurate.

Moving to the seventies, the Department began using Japanese motorcycles. This country’s motorcycles were already then beginning to make a large impact on the world’s motorcycle markets. Sophisticated, technically very advanced, as well as being most reliable, they were taking over from the European manufacturers. Britain’s death knell had already been sounded in the middle of the sixties, partly on account of the superior and advanced offerings of the Japanese manufacturers. Because of this and her added management problems, Britain was to end the manufacture of her many world-famous marques by the early seventies, some, such as Ariel, Velocette, Matchless and A.J.S. already having been phased out in the letter half of 1960. The Traffic Department did however still order and use a few of the last 750 c.c. Norton’s manufactured, in the seventies. These were to prove highly unsatisfactory and unreliable and as a result had a short innings. It seemed also that our high summer temperatures did not “agree” with them. Britain’s days of manufacturing bikes for the “Colonies” was by now something very much of the past.

At various times from then onwards, Honda 305 c.c.’s and later 750 c.c.’s machines were purchased. Yamaha 650 c.c.’s were also tried, but their handling was suspect. Again the Honda New Series ‘K’ 750 c.c.’s were ordered in the eighties. They were tough and well liked. Ten new BMW (800 c.c.’s) were also bought in the late eighties and are presently still in use. Not very spirited mounts, these somewhat underpowered bikes. Later in 1980 a large number of 750 c.c. Suzuki’s were added to the fleet. Six new Harley-Davidsons had been ordered for the last time in 1975 and these were in use until the early eighties, by which time new ones had completely out-priced themselves for any prospective future orders. The unfavourable Dollar/Rand exchange rate also contributed to putting paid to their use by the Force. Certainly most officers preferred the Harley by far; “clutches that could withstand monumental abuse, and if they had to spend so many hours in the saddle each day, there was only one motorcycle that came out tops for them”, they said. Just hearing their exhaust not (that made Milwaukee famous), spoke volumes on the road. Then there was the impact of these majestic Harleys pulling up next to the driver’s window, an awesome experience that undoubtedly put erring motorists very much on the defensive. The motorcycle of motorcycles was in itself regarded as a symbol of law and order on our roads, as I suppose it still is, wherever else they are in use in the world today.

Presently the Department owns 146 Suzuki 750 c.c.’s, manned by 190 patrolmen. They are now augmenting their fleet by taking delivery of 65 new Kawasaki “Zephyr” 750 c.c.’s. this is probably the largest motorcycle order given by the Department to date. With the ten B.M.W.’s, this will add up to a motorcycle fleet of 223 units. Indeed a far cry from the three B.S.A.’s that heralded the beginning of the Traffic Force some six decades ago. These newly acquired Kawasaki’s already having a reputation for speed and durability with their “bullet-proof” engines. Better watch out for these sleek new blue and whit Nipponese Machines on our roads.

On a farewell not apropos the Traffic Department at Gallows Hill, which as the name implies, was in bygone years a place of execution for those that had received the ultimate sentence. In the thirties, shortly after the Department started operating, a condemned man was asked to name his last wish: “A Harley-Davidson”, came his hopeful reply! But by then “Gallows Hill had obviously acquired a different connotation.

I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Senior Inspector Chris Bauermeester, whose kind assistance has helped this article to materialize. My thanks also to Seniors Jan Minnie, Harry Attwood, and “Boet” Coetzee, all now retired from the Department.

I feel that the proud and colourful record held by the motorcyclists of the Traffic Department will surely continue to be upheld in future years. They, together with their “mounts”, have shown us the way for almost 60 years. Maybe next time when you see one of them in your rear-view mirror (and are not feeling too apprehensive), you will give him a thought, he is only doing his duty and he is not being paid to only ride a motorcycle: enforcing laws to keep traffic running smoothly and safely is a must. Perhaps also give a thought to their impressive history, that has helped to mould Cape Town’s Traffic Force over the years.

© Egon Mendel 1994