'Does it have to take a fatality?': help needed to put the brakes on hoons

A Lake Macquarie community group is worried it will take a fatality before the handbrake is applied to hoons terrorising their suburb.

For more than two years, residents of Murrays Beach have been dealing with drag racing, burnouts and other dangerous driving along sections of the Old Pacific Highway and Jetty Point Drive, usually several times a week.

On Monday night, Murrays Beach resident Paul Nield will speak about the issue at the community forum before the Lake Macquarie City Council meeting at the Hunter Sports Centre.

Labor East Ward councillor Christine Buckley has also lodged a notice of motion about the issue.

The motion calls for the council to write to the NSW Police requesting increased enforcement along the Old Pacific Highway, to advocate to the NSW Police Commissioner and the Minister for Police and Member for Swansea, Yasmin Catley, for additional support and to explore practical measures and partnerships to address illegal driving in the area.

"It's been going on for a few years," Mr Nield said. "These guys are getting better organised and have seemingly been doing all this with impunity.

"There have been reports going to the council and police going back a couple of years now.

"It's escalated to a point now that these guys are posting and boasting about their escapades."

Mr Nield said the racing and burnouts had left tyre marks and shredded tyres across the road and the area was unavoidable for residents, as the Old Pacific Highway was the main entrance and exit from Murrays Beach.

"People come around the bend and just encounter these blokes doing their hooning," he said.

"I've got some video where they've pulled a crowd in and this one guy is doing this big drift and he's nearly hit some people standing by watching."

Mr Nield said he understood the police's and the council's resources were limited, but that the Murrays Beach community were frustrated.

"Somebody is just going to be that unlucky person one night," he said. "Our view is, does it have to take a fatality?"

Cr Buckley said she was growing concerned with the escalation of the dangerous driving in Murrays Beach and hoped the notice of motion would lead to viable solutions.

"There have been a number of near misses for the community so they've been putting up with it for a while and I think it's becoming more regular," Cr Buckley said.

There have been suggestions made to the council that a divider is required on the Old Pacific Highway to limit the ability to drag race and do burnouts.

"Council have looked at that at our traffic committee meeting, but at the moment it's going to cost quite a substantial amount of money," Cr Buckley said.

"We'd need to look for a grant for that."

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