Pittwater Life August 2023 Issue

Loud call for
noise cameras
News
Local State MP Rory Amon has called on
the NSW Government to include Pittwater
in its proposed trial of noise cameras
to combat ongoing hoons and antisocial
behaviour.
Last month Pittwater Life revealed the Minns
Government had announced a plan to trial
the cameras, aimed at reducing the antisocial
behaviour of hooning and associated noise.
Now Mr Amon has urged the Labor
Government to work with the Northern Beaches
Police Local Area
Command and
Transport for NSW
in identifying
suitable sites to
trial the noise
cameras, which
measure decibels
emitted by
vehicles.
He suggested at
least two locations
in the Pittwater
area, including
Palm Beach and
McCarrs Creek Rd
near Church Point
– both of which have been targeted by hoons
for decades.
“Noise cameras have phenomenal capacity to
reduce the antisocial behaviour of hooning and
the associated noise,” Mr Amon said.
“The current methods of enforcing vehicular
noise restrictions are cumbersome and
impractical.
“They require the physical stationing of
police in certain locations at certain times to
catch the culprits, but there are almost always
issues around enforceability, and this also
diverts resources from other police work.
“Our local police do amazing work, but they
cannot be everywhere all the time,” Mr Amon
added.
The suggested trial comes after years of
hooning activity in the Pittwater area, despite
ongoing and some fruitful operations from
local police.
“Noise cameras are the holy grail in
combating vehicular hooning. For years Palm
Beach residents and residents in the vicinity
of McCarrs Creek Rd have been significantly
impacted by hoons in cars and on motorbikes.
This has required ongoing police monitoring.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the
Labor Government to show Pittwater that they
will benefit from new initiatives under this
Government, just as we did under the former
government when, for example, the trialling
of Keoride in Pittwater became a wildly
successful government initiative which is now
permanent,” said
Mr Amon.
Palm Beach
& Whale Beach
Association
President Dr
Richard West
welcomed the
initiative.
“We strongly
support the
request for a trial
to commence at
Palm Beach,” he
said.
Palm Beach
resident ‘Sandra’
(not her real name) told Pittwater Life hoons had
made the lives of locals a misery for decades –
particularly along the stretch of Barrenjoey Rd
from ‘Dark Gully’ to the winding descent and
approach to Palm Beach Golf Club.
“There have been many accidents and
incidents over the years, both with groups
of motorcyclists and hoons with hotted up
exhaust systems on their cars,” she said.
She said most recently the hoons were
presenting almost every day, usually around
8.30pm.
“Residents have made dozens of complaints
to police over the years, and for a while we
got results when police attended and stood in
people’s driveways to catch offenders,” she said.
“But I feel the police felt intimidated, too.
“I’m so happy to hear about the noise
cameras – it would definitely be a start.”
– Nigel Wall
*What do you think? Tell us at readers@
pittwaterlife.com.au
Palmy gridlocks expected until Dec
Traffic on Barrenjoey Road at
Palm Beach will be majorly
disrupted for four months
while road crews undertake
slope remediation work in the
vicinity of ‘Dark Gully.’
Transport for NSW advises
that to reduce the impact
to motorists, work will
continue to be carried out up
to Thursday 30 November
within the hours of 7am
and 5pm, for up to 140
shifts, weather and worksite
conditions permitting.
Temporary lane closures,
traffic controls and reduced
speed limits will be in place
for the safety of pedestrians,
workers and motorists.
*For the latest traffic
update download the Live
Traffic NSW App or visit
livetraffic.com
8 AUGUST 2023
The Local Voice Since 1991