$1000 fine for 'cruising' boy racers

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 per cent 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.

- NZPA