Melbourne’s Chapel Street residents, businesses upset over hooning, fights at Prahran, South Yarra
Residents and business owners on one of Australia’s most iconic streets have had enough of hoons beating up their cars, fighting and even defecating in public.
Locals claim that Melbourne’s Chapel Street has become something of a playground for reckless and ‘drug-affected’ people who behave anti-socially.
A series of videos have emerged on social media showing modified cars burning out on the famous strip at night.
Other videos show visitors fighting with brawls spilling onto the road, while some defecating their bodily fluids in front of residents.
A young woman who works at an Italian restaurant on the famous strip told Daily Mail Australia she saw a recklessly driven car nearly cause an accident by a young man on Saturday night.
“Yesterday one almost crashed outside our restaurant because they drive so fast,” said Smriti, who works at La Lucciola Bistro in South Yarra.
Residents and business owners living and working on one of Australia’s most iconic streets have had enough of hoons beating up their cars, fighting and even defecating in public
Locals will make a formal complaint to the Victorian Ombudsman against Stonnington Council about the impact on them
A restaurant worker who spoke to Daily Mail Australia said ‘scary’ taunt drivers are ignoring the fact that so many pedestrians use Chapel Street
“Last night the driver drove by so fast he almost hit a cyclist.
“We were in the car at traffic lights waiting for the green light and a young guy sped past us at the red light.
“It was hard to say exactly what was going on because it happened quickly, but he was quite young. It was like a movie.’
She said the alarmed passengers commented that the scene was like being trapped in a scene from the Fast and the Furious.
Smriti, who has worked at the restaurant for two years, claimed that the atmosphere has become much more “dangerous” this year and has become even worse in April and May 2023.
“It feels really dangerous lately, it feels like anything could go wrong at any moment,” Smriti said.
‘It is scary. This is a public area where many people also walk by.’
Locals are going to make a formal complaint to the Victorian Ombudsman against Stonnington council, Announce sun reported.
Concerned locals believe the money repeatedly spent on damage repair and clean-up in Prahran, South Yarra and Windsor is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
A young woman who works at La Lucciola restaurant on the famous strip saw a car driven recklessly by a young man almost cause an accident on Saturday night
A series of videos have emerged on social media showing modified cars, driven by young men, doing burnouts and driving down the famous strip at night
Locals claim that ‘drug-stricken’ young people are fighting, breaking glass and even defecating on Chapel Street and that they’ve had enough. In the photo, two people are fighting in Kapelstraat
On many occasions, rubbish, including broken glass, was left in the streets.
Many incidents, including fights and dangerous driving, have become fodder for sharing on social media.
In one case, a resident witnessed a man brandishing a machete in the street.
In another, a driver drove into a tree outside Prahran High School on the High Street, 200 yards from Chapel Street.
A woman who lives in Prahran and co-owns a business feared someone might be ‘killed’ as a result of the unruly behavior, which included ‘constant’ speeding by cars.
“It just gets nasty and nasty and becomes a real ghetto,” Alexandra Petrovic-Defteros said.
She claimed to have witnessed “disgusting” people defecating and urinating on homes and businesses near clubs and pubs.
Ms Petrovic-Defteros also claimed that the alleged use of illegal drugs and anti-social behavior on the strip is now getting ‘out of control’.
A resident who asked not to be named claimed that the hoons used the back streets of residential areas for racing, sometimes at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.
So-called taunt driving by young men has become a problem around Chapel Street Melbourne and locals fear someone will die if not eliminated
Chapel Street is known for the high footfall of people visiting its restaurants and shops
He called on Victoria Police to have more police officers on foot patrol.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police said ‘maintaining community safety and law and order along Chapel Street is a top priority’.
Police are already running an ongoing homing operation in Stonnington and Port Phillip.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Stonnington Council and the Chapel Street Precinct for comment.