Hooning sparks concerns in Merri Bek

Hooning and antisocial behaviour in Melbourne’s inner north have driven residents who’ve “had enough” to call for better safety measures.

Residents in Melbourne’s north are “too scared” to walk their dogs or take their children to parks as hooning gets out of control, they say.

Hadfield locals have started an online petition hoping to draw Merri-bek councillors’ attention to hotspots known for dangerous driving in order “to save lives and reduce the risk of serious injury or fatality”.

Petition organiser and resident Rose, who didn’t want her surname published, said residents were “too scared” to walk dogs and take children to the local park because of hooning.

“Hadfield intertwines with bordering suburbs Pascoe Vale and Fawkner making it a hotspot for hoons who cut through the arterial road by avoiding Sydney Rd and come through Hadfield and speed,” she told the Herald Sun.

“A lot of people have to use that road, and that’s where the dangers occur to pedestrians and elderly. Hoon drivers drag race and speed.”

In the petition, Merri-bek councillors are called to implement safer and more visible footpaths on East St with reflective night signage at bus stops, increased lighting to minimise reckless driving and installed CCTV cameras.

Improving safety at Reddish Children’s playground on Domain St is also on the agenda, which is known by locals for hoons driving at high speeds.

“Evidence of tire marks, burnouts, fishtailing, and swerving can be readily observed. Damaged curbsides where offenders have lost control driving over footpaths have frightened many locals,” the petition states.

Rose also said there was a lack of “bureaucracy” when it came to the council.

“There seems to be a lack of follow-through from beginning to end — that‘s why I started the petition,” she told the Herald Sun.

She said she started a social media poll asking residents if they would support the petition and got a great response.

“We residents have the best intentions to provide safety for their children, their communities, and themselves, especially those who commute to work. Unfortunately, there are limitations in what the council approves,” she said.

Resident Soheil Gard, a regular at the Hadfield Tennis Club, said the car park was filled with hoons doing burnouts.

“It‘s very dangerous as kids sometimes play in the car park. Please [council] do something about this before someone gets hurt,” he said.

Local Maria Weaver echoed the sentiment, saying it was “too dangerous for the public at large”.

Chris Brosch said, “Everyone has the right to be safe in their neighbourhood”.

New Crime Statistics released on Thursday show dangerous driving offences rose by 17 per cent in with 145 people losing their lives on Victorian roads already this year.

“Victoria Police impounded 13,890 vehicles last year. In addition to this, our dedicated anti-hoon operation remains ongoing, with Operation Achilles responsible for hundreds of arrests and car seizures, leading to a dramatic decrease in organised hoon activity in Melbourne,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

She said police were aware of the hoon driving issue in Merri Bek and understood how it concerned and “irritated” the community.

“We use a proactive approach to disrupt hoon driving – with intelligence shared around known hoons on a daily basis and deploying police in the right places to stop offending before it occurs,” she said.

“If an event occurs, our response is rapid. If we are unable to make arrests at the time, a full scale investigation will follow.”

The police spokeswoman also said police were working with the North West Metro Region Achilles Taskforce, which intends on dismantling the networks behind Victoria’s worst hoon driving events.

A Merri-bek council spokeswoman told the Herald Sun the council worked closely with police and the Department of Transport and Planning and also alerted police to individual hooning incidents to assist them in targeting specific behaviours and locations.

“While the enforcement of hoon behaviour is the responsibility of Victoria Police, the safety of Merri-bek residents is a top priority for Council, and we work with police to address areas of concern,” she said.

“Council will always carefully consider petitions from our community at council meetings when submitted to us through our governance processes.”