Silent Crime: Call for local councils to have speed camera powers to tackle anti-social driving
And the Edinburgh Western MSP praised the "Silent Crime" campaign for highlighting the harmful impact of anti-social behaviour.
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Residents in South Queensferry have been calling for action over illegally modified cars and motorbikes racing around their town. Mr Cole-Hamilton recently chaired a public meeting there to discuss what could be done. And as the meeting was concluding, there was a collision outside and a motorcyclist had to be rushed to hospital.
One resident said the anti-social driving had taken hold after the Covid lockdown, particularly around Newhalls Road and the Hawes Pier car park.
"This is a World Heritage Site with the Forth bridges , but tourists, residents and visitors have all been put off or prevented from going to look at it at night because they feel intimidated or scared.
"The cars and bikes come revving their engines, backfiring, blowing their horns, music playing; they do speeding circuits round the car park - 40 or 50mph in a 20mph zone - and people just hate it."
He said it had quietened down over the last two weeks, but could start up again at any time. "You still go into every evening just waiting for all the shenanigans to get going again."
Mr Cole-Hanilton, who raised the issue at First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament last month, said: "I believe that one of the ways we can address this is by giving councils the power over speed cameras in their areas. This will enable them to install the cameras in known hotspots and use the revenues from speeding fines to adopt road safety measures.
"Nobody should have to suffer the misery caused by antisocial behaviour. It's time we used the powers of our parliament and Scottish local authorities to work together towards a lasting solution."
He has also tabled a motion in parliament, quoting a report by Baroness Newlove, victims commissioner for England and Wales on the severe impact of unresolved anti-social behaviour on victims, and commending the Silent Crime campaign for "raising awareness of these often overlooked issues".
The motion also says more must be done to ensure that victims of anti-social behaviour receive the support and protection they need to feel safe in their communities and calls on the Scottish Government to strengthen police and community responses to anti-social behaviour to ensure that all reports are taken seriously and effectively addressed.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said:"I am tabling this motion because I have seen the incredibly harmful impact of antisocial behaviour on the communities it blights."The Silent Crime campaign is extremely important because it brings the issue out into the open, gets people talking and lets us look at how we can tackle the problem."
The Scottish Government said local authorities already played a significant role in the selection of sites and deployment of safety cameras across the road network and there were no current plans to change the existing arrangements.
