LOCAL NEWS, DELIVERED DAILY. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get the top stories sent straight to your inbox every evening.
A car shown stunting its tires, causing damage to the road. (submitted/Nanaimo RCMP)
SHUTDOWN

Nanaimo RCMP shut down stunt driving circuit near Duke Point terminal again

Sep 22, 2020 | 11:00 AM

NANAIMO — A notorious drag racing and stunt driving area of Nanaimo was shut down again by local mounties.

RCMP officers shut down the road at Jack Point near the Duke Point ferry terminal for over four hours on Sunday, Sept. 13. They seized vehicles, issued tickets and sent onlookers home.

Cst. Gary O’Brien said this was a trouble spot for RCMP and city staff for years.

“It’s been a notorious site for drag racing, stunting, kids gathering on the weekends. We’ve tried various enforcement techniques over the years…all have failed,” O’Brien said.

Police were flooded by complaints from people working nearby and Gabriola Island trsidents concerned about the noise.

A stunt driving event was shut down by Nanaimo RCMP on Sunday, Sept. 13 after numerous complaints and years of traffic calming measures which were unsuccessful (Nanaimo RCMP)

The operation was led by Nanaimo RCMP’s Municipal Traffic Unit and resulted in 10 impounded vehicles, 30 Motor Vehicle Act violations, 23 orders for car defects to be fixed and 11 inspection orders.

No charges were laid against the roughly 100 people at the scene.

Police said the event is a regular occurrence in the area on Sunday’s and is advertised through certain groups on social media.

O’Brien believed police shut down activities for now, however he expected the group will resume elsewhere.

“There’s limited vehicles involved and we have seized 10 of them, this hits hard for a lot of the kids,” O’Brien said. “It’s going to affect their employment and their ability to travel throughout Nanaimo and area.”

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW