On one side you have boy racers who say they need to cruise Christchurch's Port Hills for "therapy".

On the other, you have angry residents who say they are sick of young drivers drifting, doing burn outs and partying on their way up and down the hill.

And now a Christchurch city councillor wants cruising banned on Summit Rd to stop boy racers terrorising the Dyers Pass Rd locals.

DEAN KOZANIC/FAIRFAX NZ Corbin Whitaker, 18, says he would still go up Summit Rd even if it became a no cruising zone.

On Thursday night, a car was heard "screeching" and trying to drift around a corner before it crashed head-on into a station wagon with two people inside.

A few weeks earlier, a resident found about 25 people outside his property "jumping around", doing burnouts in their cars, tagging a phone box and several people on top of his car trying to steal his kayak.



"You can hear it through the houses . . . some of the cars that go up there are track-spec race cars, it's just like a loaded gun going up the road," the man said.

Cr Tim Scandrett has spoken to council staff about a possible no-cruising zone on Summit Rd, similar to those introduced in the four avenues and west and north of Christchurch in 2009 and 2010. Staff have already met police about the issue.



Car enthusiasts on the Port Hills on Friday night believed there was no problem with their driving.



They said a cruising ban would not keep them away.

Scandrett, who lives on Dyers Pass Rd, said it was "affecting some residents quite badly". He had received several complaints.



A no cruising zone on Summit Rd would deter boy racers from the rest of the Port Hills, he said.



"It's a very small percentage [of drivers]. A lot of them just want to drive around . . . but it seems to be getting worse rather than better.



"It may well be the cruising legislations or bylaw that we look at up here . . . we want to get it right first time."



Matthew Abela, 18, considered cruising the Port Hills "free therapy".



He said he drove slowly through the residential zone.



"I leave it until there are no houses around and I can't annoy anyone and then I floor it.

"It's kinda my therapy, I'll start off a bit pissed off or something and come up here and I'm fully relaxed."



Abela loosely associated himself with the boy racer term because of his "look", but he did not "go out every night to do skids".



He understood why residents were upset at night, but said a ban should not apply during the day.

Corbin Whitaker, who considered himself a "car enthusiast" and not a boy racer, said it was a "s... idea".

He drove the area two or three times a week, sometimes with a group and sometimes alone.

"We'll still come up here no matter what."

Scott Cunningham wondered how a ban would be policed. He drove a "boy racer-type" car, but was middle-aged and only went to Summit Rd for the view.

"How are they going to class it? My car is all modified and stuff, but I just like my car."

Hayley Prior said a ban would be "disappointing".

"Not everyone who comes up here are hoons, some people just want to enjoy the peace and quiet. It's not all boy racers and hooligans.

"It would be a shame if that minority spoiled it for everyone."

Acting Canterbury District road policing manager Inspector Ash Tabb said most "car enthusiasts" were not breaking the law.

"We monitor them and . . . where they do breach [the law] and we're made aware of it, we do deal with it."

Council strategic policy manager Helen Beaumont said staff met police last month to discuss cruising issues at Governors Bay, Summit Rd and Dyers Pass Rd.

"The police will be monitoring the issue and there will be further meetings with council staff to discuss the options."

No-one was injured in Thursday's crash, but the resident, who did not want to be named, said it was only a matter of time.

"Eventually there's somebody who's going to get killed," he said.

BOY RACER BAN

Under the cruising bylaw the Christchurch City Council may ban the practice on any road or part of a road. The ban applies seven days a week between 10pm and 5am.

In 2009, boy racers were banned from eight roads in north and west Christchurch.

The ban encompassed McLeans Island Rd (west of Pound Rd), Chattertons Rd, Miners Rd, Coutts Island Rd and Dickies Rd in the McLeans Island area and Spencerville Rd, Lower Styx Rd and Kainga Rd in the Spencerville area.

A year later the council banned cruising in Deans, Bealey, Harper, Fitzgerald and Moorhouse avenues and Helmores Lane between 10pm and 5am. Offenders faced a fine of up to $1000.