Residents opt for prohibition on anti-social driving
Anti-social driving will be banned in the districts ‘boy racer’ hot spots between the hours of 9pm and 4am following residents and businesses support of the prohibition of light vehicles in key areas.
Several roads around the district have been added to the Public Places Bylaw and the new rules will come into effect from March 11 next year. This will give police additional enforcement tools to manage anti-social driving behaviours.
Transportation Manager Bryan Hudson said residents and businesses, their visitors, and customers, would still have access during the prohibited hours.
“We don’t want residents and their visitors to feel restricted, at the same time we need to curb these anti-social driving behaviours.”
The following roads will have the light vehicle prohibition enforced from March 11:
Cambridge/Maungatautari wards
- Gudex Road
- Appleby Road
- Wells Place – from Waikato Expressway to Moemoea Place
Te Awamutu/Kihikihi wards
- Bond Road industrial area
- Harrison Drive industrial area
- Bank Road (Lake Ngā Roto)
- Puahue Road-Parklands Road-Chamberlain Road loop
- Arapuni and Bulmers Landings area
Pirongia/Ōhaupō wards
- Hamilton Airport area
- Rukuhia area
“We know the roads listed in the new section of the bylaw are not the only roads where anti-social driving is an issue, but they are the most practical and efficient in terms of enforcement.
“A ban is only viable for some types of roads in the district. It would not work in residential streets with ‘legitimate’ night traffic and on-street parking, on long roads with multiple entry and exit points, or on State Highways where Council has no authority.
“We encourage all residents affected by anti-social driving behaviour to keep reporting instances to the police at the time it is happening. This will help us to continue to work with our communities in these areas, Hudson said.
