Numerous tire impressions consistent with doughnuts and burnouts are visible at the Nanaimo North Town Centre parking lot. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

numerous complaints

Noise from burnouts, street racing at mall parking lot floods Nanaimo RCMP

Mar 4, 2022 | 10:10 AM

NANAIMO — Police are hoping to deter street racing in response to numerous complaints at the Nanaimo North Town Centre parking lot.

Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien said a local resident reported gatherings of upwards of 30 vehicles in one of the mall’s parking lot has become an almost daily occurrence, producing noise that’s “often unbearable.”

Nanaimo RCMP report dozens of complaints of vehicles doing burnouts, doughnuts and sometimes street racing through the mall’s large parking lot over the past year.

“They’ve decided that this parking lot is going to be theirs and they’re stunting which means they’re racing their vehicles in the parking lot, squealing their tires just making excessive noise,” O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Most of the illegal and dangerous behaviour is taking place in the old Sears parking lot directly in front of condo buildings, O’Brien noted.

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He said in some cases vehicles are street racing above 100 kilometers an hour.

“It’s an escalation of behaviour that we have to put a stop to before someone is seriously injured.”

Most of the people involved are young males in the 17 to 25-year-old age range, O’Brien said, noting in some instances the stunt driving is happening during the day.

On the evening of Saturday, Feb 19 officers issued several violation tickets against two drivers at the Nanaimo North Town Centre parking lot.

O’Brien added street racing is not only dangerous to those involved, but it also puts the public at risk as well.

“Drivers should be aware that if you are found stunting or street racing, your vehicle may be impounded for seven days, you will receive a hefty fine and if you are a new driver, you run the risk of having your licensed suspended,” O’Brien stated.

Numerous tire marks present throughout the mall’s large parking lot, including outside the closed Sears building. Other easily visible tire skid marks are present around Canadian Tire at the north end of the mall property.

“If they can find an area that they feel is based on private property then they can have at it, but it’s not going to happen in our city,” O’Brien said.

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