A 19-year-old Manawatu man has been convicted in court this week for anti-social driving behaviour after multiple burnouts and skids on Palmerston North roads.

Early on the morning of Saturday 10 June last year, Police observed a Ford vehicle doing burnouts and skids at the end of the Makomako Road cul de sac, a location that Palmerston North Council has spent more than $6,000 in recent years to clean up the area.

The vehicle narrowly missed bystanders on the footpath, and was later observed by Police doing further skids.

Police conducted enquiries as part of Operation Spider and located the man and his vehicle later at his home address last year.

Operation Spider was a surveillance operation targeting boy racers which ran over two nights in June last year. As a result, 14 offenders were identified and have been prosecuted to date.

The 19-year-old was disqualified from driving for eight months, ordered to pay a $200 fine, and is required to do 150 hours of community work.

The Palmerston North City Council have had to deploy contractors to the Makomako Road cul-de-sac on 30 different occasions, totalling more than $6,000 of ratepayers’ money in recent years to repair the road, and clear it of rubber from blown tyres.

Under the Council’s recently updated Traffic and Parking Bylaw, Makomako Road is one of six roads around the city where light motor vehicles are prohibited between 10pm and 4am, Monday to Sunday.

Manawatu Area Prevention Manager Inspector Phil Ward says: “Manawatu Police are determined to hold anti-social vehicle users to account. They are having a real detrimental effect on our community, not only putting their own lives at risk, but also the safety and comfort of the community and bystanders.

“Police are committed to identifying and locating boy racers and even if we don’t stop you on the night, we will follow up at a later date and you may be brought before the court.”

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