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Hamilton City Council is trialling the use of an anti-skid spray to make it harder for boyracers to do burnouts on streets.
The council's networks operations team leader Robyn Denton said the spray would be applied to three streets where gatherings have been frequent.
Frustration in the city has been ongoing for years as boyracers torment residents with their intimidating and dangerous behaviour.
Robyn Denton told Midday Report the spray was normally used for locations where extra skid-resistance was needed like tight corners and around pedestrian crossings, but will now be trialled in new ways to deter racers.
"We're using it a slightly different way - we've got a bit of a pattern just to try and create some different texture there and cause some issues where people are trying to lose traction and to do skids," she said.
Ordinary drivers would probably not notice the difference when driving over the material, she added.
It will be applied on McKee St, a cul-de-sac in Te Rapa, as well as Mexted Place, and Crawford Street, where the anti-social behaviour has been most prevalent.
About $30,000 would be spent on the operation, mainly covering traffic management when the spray was being applied, Denton said.
"This as an ongoing problem," she said.
"It's not peculiar to Hamilton, it's happening all around the country. We just have these locations where it's been particularly bad and the gatherings have been particularly frequent.
"So, it's possible they will move on. But at this stage, this is something that we're having a trial just to see how it goes and whether it does work."
