SCOOTER MAYHEM IN SURFERS

SURFERS Paradise business owners have called for authorities to put an end to the schoolies scooter madness – before it is too late.

Glitter Strip traders say they are fed up with thongwearing teens causing havoc on footpaths.

Many said the number of young riders without helmets had escalated.

Ezy Mart manager Zaid Aldhmour said action was needed to stop the hooning.

“It is always a relief when Schoolies finishes up,” Mr Aldhmour said. “There are groups of 10 or 15 schoolies riding up and down on scooters. Over the weekend large groups of schoolies ignored safety advice by riding without shoes and unfastened helmets.

At Broadbeach 15 schoolies on scooters surrounded a car at a red light and beeped profusely

“The day is pretty busy but the peak hour for scooter traffic is at 7pm when there are less cars.

“It can be very dangerous with big swarms tooting their horns all at once.”

Ryan Le Gassick, the owner of Iknadi, said schoolies were annoying for all retailers on Cavill Ave.

“They don’t have regards before zigzagging dangerously around the car when the light turned green.

The scooter mayhem follows a 17-year-old girl crashing her moped into a footpath on the Esplanade at Surfers Paradise last week.

for road rules and it is the constant shifting between driving on the footpath and road,” he said.

“This year there has also been a real problem with police not caring so much about them not wearing helmets or sticking to road rules. It needs to be enforced.”

Ray White Surfers Paradise CEO Andrew Bell has