Quieter speedway meeting promised

Tomorrow night's speedway meeting in Auckland is to go ahead, with the promoter promising that cars which breach the noise limit will be pulled off the track.

Springs Promotions said last night that it would carry out rigorous noise monitoring during the meeting at Western Springs Stadium to gather data to help it stop cars exceeding the 85-decibel limit.

The company has waived the $20 entry fee for spectators at the meetings tomorrow night and next weekend.

Promoter Dave Stewart held a press conference last night after a three-hour meeting with drivers about minimising noise.

He said both sides emerged from the meeting committed to reducing noise levels.

He said "radical changes" were in place for the next two weeks.

Two sound consultants would monitor noise on the stadium's boundary. A real-time connection to a noise-monitoring system installed by the council would also allow the promoter to know if noise levels were being breached.

Mr Stewart hoped the noise data would give the speedway more accurate information on how many cars it was possible to run on the track before the noise went over 85 decibels.

Two drivers appeared with Mr Stewart at the conference. Michael Kendall and Graham Standring said they and the other drivers were committed to lowering the sound levels.

They said drivers had been making adjustments to their cars, such as installing new mufflers, to make them quieter.

Mr Kendall said drivers would leave the track if told they were breaching the limit. "Drivers will be happy to pull their cars off to not jeopardise races."

Mr Standring said the modifications drivers were making to their cars were costly but that drivers did not resent the money spent. They were more concerned with ensuring the speedway could continue, he said.

The speedway was fined $300 for breaching the limit at the first meeting of the season on November 6.

This week, the Environment Court ordered the speedway to comply with the 85-decibel limit or face a $200,000 fine.

The Springs Stadium Residents Association, comprised of householders fed up with the noise, had taken the speedway to court.

Members have refused to be photographed by the Herald, claiming they and their families have received hate mail and threatening phone calls.

Spokesman Joe Caccioppoli said: "We are not anti-speedway ... We just want the speedway to keep the law.

"If I had a huge party every Saturday night and had the stereo going at a level that disturbed my neighbours they could ring noise control who would come around and stop the party.

"If I did it again they would take my stereo away. What is the difference between that and the speedway which each Saturday they operate they break the law and yet nothing gets done about it?"

Mr Caccioppoli said he was not aware of the exact number of people in the association but it was in the hundreds. He said the association had, understandably, come out of the debate poorly.

"The reality is there are definitely factions of the media that are choosing the more sensational position. Choosing to support us would not get calls to talkback."

The residents association, which won an Environment Court case this week forcing Springs Promotion to comply with noise limits, claims to have widespread support within the community.

But people living on Sherwood Ave, one street behind Old Mill Rd which borders the Grey Lynn stadium, seem not to mind the noise - too much.

Yesterday the Herald visited Sherwood Ave and found only one woman who wholeheartedly supported the association.

Among eight people found home at about lunchtime comments ranged from the speedway being called a nice if noisy neighbour to not causing any problems at all.

One man said he was ambivalent, while another said the speedway had been around for years. "It's like an icon in this place."

One woman said the speedway did get loud but she did not mind.

She heard the lions roaring at Auckland Zoo but their noise was like a mumble compared to the speedway.

Another woman quizzed about the noise said: "They're across the road but it's not an issue for us."