Mount Maunganui divided on boy racers

Slashing the speed limit and installing more speed cameras are the popular solutions to the noise that Mt Maunganui's boy racers cause.

Almost 100 people attended a public meeting this week to kick-start a search for answers to the problems caused by increasingly noisy, high-powered cars, which are clashing with the upmarket apartment and hotel boom.

The apartment accommodation industry organised the meeting in frustration at guests quitting in disgust at the racket from cars. The mood was strongly in favour of reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h.

Tauranga police Inspector Murray Lewis rejected accusations that police were not doing enough to enforce laws governing boy racers, except to say that sometimes there were more pressing law and order priorities in the city.

A couple of residents stood out against the tide of opinion against boy racers.

"The problem is not as bad as you all say. The cars are legal and they have every right to drive on this road," Wayne Kusabs said.

Another man, who has lived at the Mount for 45 years, said it had always been noisy.

"We had our fun, it is not for the people that live here to stop the fun."

- NZPA