Residents’ health in firing line as hoons treat North Adelaide roads like racetrack

Police are fining dangerous hoon drivers in North Adelaide as fed-up locals say the “subculture” of revved up engines poses a health risk.

Hoons revving their engines and “popping” exhausts are putting residents of North Adelaide, and their health, on edge, locals say, with police now cracking down.

Adelaide City councillor Mary Couros, speaking to FIVEAA on Wednesday, said the issue of hoon drivers had been an “escalating” issue for North Adelaide for the past 18 months.

North Adelaide resident Trevor Robertson said the issue had become a “subculture” and was only getting “increasingly worse”.

“It’s become a health issue, people just aren’t getting any sleep,” he said.

“We live in apartments off Brougham Place, and some people have contemplated selling because of just how bad things are. It’s really become a risk.”

Mr Robertson said there was one instance a couple of weeks ago when hoon drivers were speeding and making lots of noise as football fans were leaving Adelaide Oval.

“If a car like that lost control, it would have been just terrible in a crowd like that,” he said.

Adelaide City Councillor Mary Couros. Picture: Claudio Rashella

Over the weekend, police issued 24 expiation notices and eight vehicle defect notices after “numerous ongoing complaints” from residents and businesses owners in the area about hoon drivers and poor driving behaviour.

“I know it sounds ‘North Adelaide, here we go complaining again’, but it really has been impacting residents,” Ms Couros said.

“It’s not just an isolated incident, just on O’Connell St, they (hoons) do loops of North Adelaide almost like it’s a race, like they’re racing.

“And it has really disrupted people’s health and wellbeing, and people have fear when they hear these noises.”

SAPOL are cracking down on hoon drivers in North Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

Member for Adelaide Lucy Hood said there was no place for “these idiots” in North Adelaide.

“Hoons aren’t welcome in North Adelaide,” she said.

“Sometimes it can take just one hoon between midnight and 2am to wake you up and you’re up for the rest of the night.

Member for Adelaide Lucy Hood, councillor Mary Couros and SAPOL have been meeting with North Adelaide residents regarding hoon driving. Picture: Facebook

Melbourne Street, North Adelaide. Image/Russell Millard

“We’re seeing some really pleasing results to the crackdown. It’s about focusing about where we’re seeing some of that collective behaviour, these hoons, these idiots frankly.”

SA Police said they had maintained a “highly visible presence” in the area and were adopting a “low-tolerance approach” in response to hoon driving.

Ms Hood said there would be meetings with SAPOL in the “next few weeks and months” about traffic management and “what tools we have available” to combat hoon driving.

In April, The Advertiser reported business leaders had warned North Adelaide faced a “prosperity killer” with plans to remove parking, put in bike lanes and cut the speed limit to 30km/h on O’Connell St.

The Adelaide City Council is also currently investigating hoon behaviour in North Adelaide and collaborating with SAPOL.

Originally published as Residents’ health in firing line as hoons treat North Adelaide roads like racetrack