Image: Randwick council has voted to install CCTV at a popular location in La Perouse to curb street racing and car hooning. Photo: Wikimedia commons and Pixabay.
By SASHA FOOT
Randwick City council is pushing to install CCTV cameras at a popular cycling and driving location in La Perouse to address car hooning and street racing. ‘The loop’ at La Perouse is a short one-way circuit positioned at the turn-around point for Anzac Parade.
Randwick Councillors unanimously agreed to install the new La Perouse CCTV at a council meeting this week. According to Councillor Danny Said, car enthusiasts frequent the circuit to engage in reckless driving.
“When driving the loop, there is a lot of loud noise, and these cameras can detect this too; this has happened for years, and we have been trying to fix it,” Said told the council meeting.
When investigating the issue 5 years ago, the council conducted community consultation.
Councillor Phillipa Veitch asked the relevant officer to explain whether the community supported the installation of CCTV cameras.
The council officer noted there “was a request for CCTV to be installed on the loop for traffic”.
“We currently have CCTV in the car parks inside Yarra Bay, adjacent to the amenities block and sailing club,” he explained.
CCTV technology advanced
Councillor Danny Said recognised that the surveillance measure would benefit from improved technology.
“The technology has advanced; the ones that Bayside have been putting in have photo recognition to recognise licence plates—that way you don’t require the police there.”
“The Mayor of Bayside said [the cameras’ have restricted anti-social behaviour tremendously because people get fined straight away.”
In 2011, the council installed a gate at the beginning of the loop to limit vehicles entering the circuit at night. The council officer added that since gating the loop, vehicles access the one-way circuit from the opposite entrance.
“Motorists now will drive up the loop the wrong way, and the police will be issuing 70 fines just in one night.”
To address hooning in residential streets, the council installed traffic calming devices, such as speed bumps on Yarra Road and Endeavour Avenue. Neighbouring Bayside Council currently has solar-powered CCTV cameras installed in Sanoni Avenue and Brighton-Le-Sands.
