Suburban hoons forced to slow down
Police Minister Rob Johnson today unveiled the Liberal-National Government's latest weapon against hoon drivers.
Mr Johnson said mobile speed humps would be installed on local roads in metropolitan and country areas to slow down speeding vehicles as part of a $2million four-year program.
The first series of speed humps have been installed in Duffy Terrace, Woodvale which is located in the City of Joondalup.
"Duffy Terrace has a long history of hoon driving behaviour and the road is littered with burnout marks," the Minister said.
"The 1.4km road is mostly straight, making it attractive to hoons who drive at high speed.
"There's evidence that some vehicles have travelled at speeds of up to 159kmh on this road, which poses a significant risk to residents and pedestrians.
"The mobile speed humps will force these reckless drivers to slow down if they want to avoid damaging their cars.
"Most Western Australians are fed up with hoons putting lives at risk and this is the latest initiative that shows the State Government means business when it comes to confronting this kind of irresponsible behaviour."
The mobile speed humps are made from recycled tyres and are bolted to the road.
Fourteen speed humps will be installed on Duffy Terrace, seven in each direction, with a rubber median in the centre and at the edge of the sealed shoulder to prevent vehicles avoiding them, but allowing cyclists and buses easy access.
The initiative has been successfully trialled in the districts of Joondalup, Melville, Rockingham, Subiaco and Vincent.
The trial at Fitzgerald Street in North Perth has slowed traffic to around 40kmh, a drop of about 10-15kmh, after 16 humps were installed over a 400m stretch of the busy road.
The next roll-out of the speed humps program will commence with councils being briefed on March 27 on how to submit applications to have the mobile speed humps installed in their area.
Two regional locations will also be selected for the first year of the program.
Mr Johnson said there were plans for much tougher hoon legislation which he hoped to have before Parliament as soon as possible. This would allow police to impound vehicles from hoon drivers and even crush those vehicles if the drivers continued to offend.
Minister's office - 9222 9211