“I’m scared.”
It’s just two words, but in a flurry of protests and petitions Caroline Mackay’s sentiments stand out.
She is just one of many neighbours of the soon to be Tecoma McDonalds site who are worried the fast food restaurant will bring late night troublemakers to the town.
Her back fence is only metres from the car park, but the bright lights are the least of her concerns.
“I’m worried about the drunken hoons,” Ms Mackay said.
“We already have enough trouble with young people coming down the line and leaving broken bottles and empty alcohol cans all over the road.
“A restaurant like this is a magnet for people like that.”
Ms Mackay fears she will be left frightened in her own home and struggle to sleep with drunk restaurant patrons causing trouble at night.
Ms Mackay joined a number of other neighbours last week to discuss their concerns with the Mail.
Another neighbour, Judy Wolff said she and others were worried the fast food chain would act like a “magnet” and bring drunks to the town.“It’s the hoons and traffic that we are mostly worried about, I don’t care whether these people are happy or angry drunks,” she said.
“They will still be banging around causing trouble.”
She said residents expected extra rubbish in the area.
Ms Wolff lives just two houses down from the site and said she was concerned the added traffic would make it almost impossible for residents to get in and out of their homes.
Jeff Springfield lives directly opposite the McDonald’s site and says even now it can take up to 15 minutes to get out of his driveway in peak times.“It’s a nightmare, and it’s only going to get worse,” he said.
See next week’s paper for more on residents’ concerns.
