Boy racers could face $1,000 "cruising" fine

Published: 10:05AM Tuesday February 09, 2010

Source: NZPA

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Boy racers could face $1,000 "cruising" fine (Source: ONE News)

Boy racers in Christchurch - Source: ONE News

A planned new Christchurch City Council by-law could see boy racers fined up to $1,000 if they are caught repeatedly "cruising" the city's main streets.

The New Zealand-first by-law could be in force within months.

The council would be the first in New Zealand to exercise new powers under a law change last year that enabled local bodies to control, restrict or ban cruising.

The by-law would apply to the four main avenues, and favourite boy-racer areas of Sumner, and would apply at nights from Thursday to Monday, The Press reported.

Mayor Bob Parker said the by-law's biggest impact would be tackling noisy vehicles, which he said made up about 95% of the boy racer problem.

He expected wide public support for the by-law, which he hoped could be enforced by the mid-year.

People breaching the bylaw could face a range of penalties, from a $150 ticket to a fine of up to $1,000.

Transport Minister Steve Joyce, who instigated the anti-cruising law change, told the newspaper the by-law plan was "encouraging".

"If you have a specific problem area like the four avenues, this is designed to cope with that," he said. "It is not the whole solution, but it is a tool that could be useful."

Council staff are proposing a one-hour period for the cruising bylaw. If drivers use the same stretch of specified road more frequently and have an overly noisy vehicle or are in a convoy, they will breach the by-law.

Public submissions will close on March 25. The council will hold a hearing before preparing a final draft.

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