Back

Councils, police and residents forge united front against hoon driving

North Sydney Council

Residents, councils, NSW Police, Transport for NSW and State Government agencies have joined forces against hoon driving, illegal street racing and excessive vehicle noise, agreeing that coordinated action across council boundaries is needed to protect communities from a problem that no single organisation can solve alone.

North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker convened the roundtable at North Sydney Council Chambers on Thursday 16 July, bringing together residents from the North Sydney, City of Sydney and Bayside local government areas with NSW Police, Transport for NSW, neighbouring councils and State Government agencies. The gathering recognised that hoon drivers cross council boundaries and that the response must too.

Mayor Baker said the roundtable was a response to a steady stream of reports from residents of revving engines, disrupted sleep and dangerous and antisocial driving, particularly late at night.

“At its core, this issue is about being able to enjoy your home, getting a good night’s sleep, and feeling safe in your own neighbourhood,” Mayor Baker said.

“For many residents, this is not an occasional disruption. It is something they are living with regularly. A small number of drivers are having a disproportionate impact on thousands of residents who simply want to enjoy peaceful, safe and liveable neighbourhoods.

“No single organisation can solve this alone. It sits across road management, environmental regulation, policing and community safety, and the roundtable showed what genuine partnership across government, councils and the community can look like.”

Participants also identified a number of proposed actions for further investigation and advocacy, including:

• targeted enforcement in known hotspot locations
• piloting noise detection technology in partnership with the NSW Environment Protection Authority
• a coordinated traffic management approach across affected councils and Transport for NSW
• better sharing of evidence and community experiences to drive future policy and operational responses
• practical measures to reduce the impacts of excessive vehicle noise and dangerous driving on local communities.

Residents from North Sydney, Millers Point and the Bayside Council area shared strikingly similar experiences at the roundtable, underscoring that the problem is shared across communities. Participants acknowledged that enforcement is challenging, not least due to resourcing constraints, and that as Sydney grows denser, the impacts of noise at night will be felt more widely.

The roundtable followed a Mayoral Minute brought by Mayor Baker to Council in April 2026. Council will now work with NSW Police, Transport for NSW, State agencies and neighbouring councils to progress the priorities identified at the roundtable. 

“This roundtable was about people. It was about ensuring residents feel heard, that their experiences are understood, and that there is a shared commitment to improving the situation,” Mayor Baker said.

“Residents deserve to have confidence that all levels of government and relevant agencies are working together to identify practical and effective solutions.”

Contact details:

[email protected]

M  +61 426 515 896