"We lie in bed at night listening to souped-up cars racing by. We lie there waiting for the big bang."
It came on Friday for Waldronville resident Peter Friend when a car containing three young people collided with a power pole outside the Waldronville Playcentre at 7pm.
Mr Friend contacted the Otago Daily Times with concerns about the growing number of cars travelling at excess speeds past his Waldronville home and was worried someone was going to be killed.
"These guys were lucky they weren't killed.
"If the pole wasn't there, the car probably would have landed in the lounge of the house next door."
Mr Friend said residents walked around Waldronville at night, particularly during the summer months, and it was only a matter of time before an innocent pedestrian was hit.
The speed limit was 60kmh along the straight through Waldronville but during the day most traffic travelled about 80kmh, he said.
"Traffic travels much faster than that at night - 100kmh plus.
"Some of them sound like low-flying aeroplanes, they are going so fast.
"Speed bumps at each end of the Waldronville straight may be the only solution."
Dunedin police Senior Sergeant Brian Benn said the car had been reported travelling without lights at high speed just moments before it collided with the power pole.
He said he was surprised there were no injuries.
"If you hit a pole and walk away, you're very lucky."
The driver of the vehicle was likely to be charged with dangerous driving.
Snr Sgt Benn said Dunedin police were aware the area was a problem spot for speeding traffic and it was regularly patrolled by police.
Last weekend, a 29-year-old Dunedin man was caught travelling 187kmh along Brighton Rd between Green Island and Waldronville.
"I'm sure it [the number of police patrols] is not enough for the people who live in Waldronville but we have to consider the big picture and spread ourselves around."
A police operation in the area yesterday resulted in 11 speeding tickets being handed out, and five tickets for not wearing seat belts.
