Councillor hits out at boy racers

Councillor hits out at boy racers

12 August 2015

CALLS have been issued for boy racers to stop using a Ballynahinch car park as a race track.

Up to 50 young drivers have been meeting regularly at the Lisburn Street car park where they drive around at speed and rev car engines as loudly as they can, much to the annoyance of nearby residents.

The latest incident occurred last Sunday when those in cars threw empty hot food packaging, bottles and cans on the ground before driving out of the car park at speed.

Councillor Billy Walker has received a number of reports about young people driving recklessly and fears those responsible could end up seriously injuring themselves or someone else.

He said the drivers of the high performance cars travelling at speed in the car park pose a problem to pedestrians and other road users, confirming residents’ concerns have been raised with police.

Councillor Walker said residents’ concerns, in particular those who live at Lisburn Street, need to be addressed and appealed to the parents of the young drivers to warn them about the dangers associated with driving at speed.

The Rowallane politician said the young drivers need to realise they run the risk of hurting or seriously injuring pedestrians or other road users and hopes measures will be taken to put the brakes on them.

“I hope local police will take a robust approach to this issue. The fact the majority appear to be driving high performance cars is a major annoyance to residents who live at what is normally a quiet part of Ballynahinch,” he said.

Councillor Walker said the drivers leave the Lisburn Street car park at speed but admitted he does now know if they are racing each other around the town centre.

“There is a real fear someone is going to be injured and I would remind those driving at speed in the car park and revving their engines loudly that police have the power to confiscate their vehicles,” he continued.

Councillor Walker said when residents in Crossgar expressed similar concerns about speeding drivers revving their cars loudly several years ago, officials from the Driver and Vehicle Agency tested the noise from their engines and found it exceeded permitted levels.

He added: “On a Sunday afternoon when people in Ballynahinch want to make the most of an opportunity to relax, they are faced with noise and nuisance created by these young drivers. It must stop.”