"Going to the extreme …" This was the remark made by one resident after metal spikes were found along a piece of road regularly frequented by quad bike fanatics inside the forested area at the foot of the Soutpansberg Mountain.

Bordering Makhado (Louis Trichardt), the forested area is a popular attraction for local quad bike enthusiasts, but, it would seem, not with the approval of everybody.

The relationship between many residents and quad bike drivers has been, to say the least, shaky at the best of times. On the one hand there are those who see this quad bike craze as a huge nuisance and a danger to other road users. When it comes to disturbing the peace, especially over weekends when people like to rest, quad bike racers seem to be at the top of the hate list (it must be said that this is true only with regard to those quad bike drivers who use the town’s streets as a personal race track). On the other hand, quad bike drivers say they are forced to drive, or is it speed, through town, as there is nowhere to go for them to practice their sport.

Anyway, coming back to the spikes ... Four spikes where brought to the office of the Zoutpansberger. A spike consists of two L-shaped pieces of steel wire, neatly welded at the centre to produce a quite lethal four-tipped spike, each of which is about 3cm long.

Following up on the hysterical barks and moans of a dog believed to be trapped in a wire snare during the evening, a resident (who would like to remain anonymous) of Skuldbult send her gardener out the next morning to try and find the dog. He did not find the dog, but for his trouble he did find the spikes – one of which stuck in his foot.

"This is going to the extreme. I know a lot of people do not like these quad bike drivers. I have also had run-ins with a couple of them. Frankly, many of them just have no respect for anybody or anyone around them. But still, throwing spikes in the road ... that’s a bit harsh," remarked the resident. The question was asked as to why ordinary citizens are forced to go to such extremes to address such an obvious communal problem. What it boils down to, many say, is that law-abiding citizens are turned into criminals by having to take matters (the law) into their own hands.

Many believe the lack of policing and visible action from especially the municipal traffic department is the reason for the escalating problem. Just over a year ago, Mr Martin Luus of the municipal traffic department gave "a final warning" to quad bike drivers that they will be prosecuted if found driving on public roads with an unroadworthy vehicle (a quad bike is not allowed on any public road unless it has a roadworthiness certificate) or driving without a license. This warning, however, seems to have had little or no effect on the problem. It is feared that the situation is heading for disaster, if the spikes in the road are anything to go by, if something is not done immediately by the responsible authorities.