A planned new Christchurch City Council bylaw could see boy
racers fined up to $1000 if they are caught repeatedly
"cruising" the city's main streets.
The New Zealand-first bylaw 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 bylaw 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 bylaw's biggest impact would be
tackling noisy vehicles, which he said made up about 95
percent of the boy racer problem. He expected wide public
support for the bylaw, 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 $1000.
Transport Minister Steve Joyce, who instigated the
anti-cruising law change, told the newspaper the bylaw 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 bylaw.
Public submissions will close on March 25. The council will
hold a hearing before preparing a final draft.
Cruising fines
Excellent, provided they apply the same rules to motorbikes - especially the "Harleys" ridden by 'midlife crisis' males who cruise the streets. Why is it that it is these “Harley” type bikes - you know the ones, they’re the bikes that disturb the peace while you sitting outside at a café enjoying lunch - are not included? The boy racer laws seem to have left out a significant group of noisy cruisers. Why is that?