Slightly O/T. For fans of the week leading up to Woodward Dream Cruise

[53SledSleeve]

www.controlthecruise.com

I know its tech week and this is slightly off topic, but I thought some people should check this out and maybe voice some concern.

This is a new group of residents and maybe a few business owners who are trying to get mayors and city council members of the cities that sponsor the Woodward Dream Cruise to more or less ban cruising the week leading up to the actual cruise day.

For people outside of Michigan, or those who haven't been on Woodward the week or two BEFORE the cruise, this is by far the best time you could possibly have hanging out, bullshitting about cars, kicking tires, talking shit, checking out TONS of rides, AND, you can actually cruise your car up and down Woodward. On Woodward Dream Cruise day, which is always a Saturday, you can hardly make it 100 yards in an hour for all of the mini-vans, Hummers, ricers, minitrucks, and those rediculous "DONK" cars. Those types of cars have ruined actual cruising for classic cars because of all of the traffic they create. Example: 3 years after the PT Cruiser was released, Chrysler Headquarters had a PT Owners Group party at the headquarters in the morning, then had everyone who had a PT there follow them down to cruise on Woodward. Total PT Cruisers?.....over 3 thousand! All of them on Woodward all at once in an event that already attracts 1.5 million people every year....on one road....for one day. The next year, Chrysler did it again for the PT, but now included the Viper and the Prowler O.G's also! Even more non-classic cars on Woodward.

The point is, for anyone who's ever been out there, the week leading up to Woodward is the best part of it. You can actually park your car for free, instead of having to pay in upwards of $300 for a parking spot. Some places actually charge that much for ONE parking spot on Cruise Day...and people pay it. But, you can park anywhere you want, cruise whenever you want, hang out, have a TON of fun, see thousands and thousands of classic cars cruising up and down Woodward. Not just our types of cars, but EVERY single type of classic car, just cruising and having fun. A ton of fun. Ask any HAMBer who's parked at the Shell station on Woodward. The owner owns the station and an adjoining lot, and he lets anyone park there and hang out as long as they want and you get to see some impressive old cars. It really is something cool. Its as close to how it was in the 50's and 60's as you can get.....where you spent the day shining up your ride, then had your friends pile in, then cruised it low and slow up and down the street, stopping at every hang out stop along the way to check out all the other cars.

Anyway these people don't want to stop the Woodward Dream Cruise itself, just the best part of it...the week or so leading up to it. They're going to try to band together and get the cities to start issuing cruising tickets and loitering tickets to people driving in classic cars and people hanging out. I live in one of the sponsoring cities, so I've heard of their plans at city council meetings. Its ugly at best. 2 years ago they cracked down on cruisers. When they would pull you over, the police had checklists of violations commonly found on classic cars, things that they would normally not even notice but could deem you illegal. Things like open pipes, cheater slicks, blowers and superchargers, aftermarket turbo's, lowered suspensions, altered suspensions, altered frames, windshields that aren't large enough.....meaning most of the things we appreciate and do to our cars. If you're bumper is too low, you're in violation. Problem is, 2 years ago, they didn't always issue a ticket for these things, they impounded your car. Some people found that when they went back on Monday to get the car back, they had been stripped down to nothing. The city of Royal Oak were sued for this for using an impound lot in Detroit in a horrible neighborhood. Your car didn't stand a chance there.

If this actually happens, this will be BAD NEWS for not just people who are into classic cars, but people who enjoy cruising ANY type of car, no matter what kind it is.

I just wanted to post the link for anyone who enjoys the week preceding Woodward Dream Cruise so they can maybe voice their opinion.

[telecaster_6]

What a bunch of bullshit.....

[53SledSleeve]

Yeah, I thought so too. Living here in Berkley, I hear this shit come up every year since the second year of the Dream Cruise. Every year, there is someone who complains at a city council meeting, not about the joke that the actual Dream Cruise has become, but about the week leading up to it.

The week before is the only part of the Dream Cruise that has remained pure and more to the point of what the Cruise was supposed to be in the first place. It was never meant to be a "corporate playground" like it is now. It was never meant to have automotive manufacturers renting up whole city blocks and entire shopping center parking lots so they can erect temporary 80 feet high billboards so they can showcase bullshit like a lawn tractor with a Hemi in it. Then, everyone else joins in on the "fleece the cruiser" bandwagon and you end up with places like fucking Burger King charging anywhere from $50 to $300 to park a damn car...even if its only for 10 minutes.

I find it funny that these residents and "busineses" have a problem with the free shit and the most innocent part of the whole Dream Cruise thing, but the commercial plundering doesn't bother them in the least bit. A couple hundred cars cruising 12 miles worth of public road bothers them, but 1.5 million people bottlenecking traffic and littering everywhere is okay? Maybe I'm a conspiracy theory nut or something, but sounds like maybe someone is pissed they can't cash in on the rest of it. I'm thinking the cities want to generate some funds by "taxing" the cruisers in the form of loitering and cruising tickets. They are short on funds lately.....from what the local papers are saying! Hmmmmm....wierd.

Maybe a "Friends Of Cruising Woodward For Free" website or "Cruising Is Not A Crime" site and petition is in order! I always did love politics!

[53SledSleeve]

BTTT for anyone concerned.

[ynottayblock]

i have been going since 99' and have never checked out the week before I have always gone on the saturday. I have always wanted to check out the week leading up to the cruise, hopefully that will happen. but i have noticed the police cracking down on everything in the past three years, i remember in 99 pretty much anything went, open headers, burnouts etc. with the police only giving verbal warnings for burnouts. no matter what i will keep going, it is still fun even though corporations are really starting to sink their teeth in (i think i went 1 block this year and had 6 different companies try to give me energy drinks...wtf?) and what is the deal with people trying to protest shit there? i have seen people driving around with anti-abortion billboards, like there is a time and a place for that shit and woodward is not one of them. even with all that shit i cant say i ever had a bad time there, it is always a blast, but i hope they dont ruin the prelude for those who go.

[hotrodladycrusr]

I believe it is all residentual based bullshit. I can't imagine a business owner NOT wanting people there. We go there every nite after work all week long. I spend money at the Shell station (who supports the cruisers) for fuel, we eat dinner every nite at a different local resturant, stop for ice cream, shop inside a number of retail shops, Pier One for example, in a nutshell myself and hundreds if not thousands of people spend a whole lot of money on Woodward before the Dream Cruz.

On the flip side, there are so many freebies on the actual day of the cruise that I spend very little money on that Saturday.

I hit Woodward during the week to cruz, I go on Saturday to walk around and socialize cuz for the most part your not getting very far cruzn after about 12 noon. I'm heading to B'ville for Speed Week next year during the Woodward hoopla so looks like I'll miss the outcome.

[53SledSleeve]

Don't get me wrong, I have NOTHING against the actual Dream Cruise. Its a really cool concept. I personally won't drive a car in it for those reasons...that and its a day long traffic jam.

This is why I love the days leading up to the Cruise. You can actually cruise! Sure there are people parked everywhere on the side of the road, BUT!!!, only when the businesses have closed for the night. So basically, nobody is interrupting any business. The police for whatever reason have a major problem with a family in a classic car pulling over and parking for a while to hang out. Anyone who's been on Woodward has seen the "parade" of cops pulling into parking lots to kick people out and make them go home...even though they aren't causing any problems....they're just sitting in lawn chairs watching cars.

One would think that those cops would be better served doing something like fighting actual crime! You mean to tell me that there is NO OTHER crime going on anywhere that needs attention? And just imagine how much of our tax dollars are paying for the "fun police" to drive up and down Woodward and tell us we can't sit down on the side of the road in a lawnchair and watch cars go by. Not to mention that when they finally get tired of it all, they barricade the road! They barricade a public, taxpayer funded road! I could see why residents would be upset by that, but whose fault is it? Is it mine for just simply driving up and down in an old car? Shouldn't the blame be on the city that ordered that a PUBLIC, TAXPAYER FUNDED road be shut down for no good reason?

The cruisers aren't wasting tax dollars, the cities are, the cheifs of police are and the city councils are. They should be more upset with that, instead of being upset that for maybe 2 weeks in the summer people come out to cruise and hang out. Its not like people are hanging out until 3am, they usually disperse on their own at around 10pm or so. And, when the police shut down the main road, how do you think all of these cruisers have to get home? Yep, down side streets. I'd be pissed off too if 2000 cars just got routed down my sidestreet at 10pm on a work night, but again, is that our fault? Did we shut down the road? Nope. I think the blame is being unfairly directed at us instead of who it should be aimed at.

[4t64rd]

I really hate self-centered idiots who believe that they have somehow been "wronged" by a slight inconvenience.

I guess I'll just have to come back in 30 years for the Wordward Dream Cruise Memorial Cruise... When the 99% of the people who enjoyed the WDC feel nostalgic again and agree it's a good idea.

[hotrodladycrusr]

Don't know exactly how they did it in Berkey BUT in Royal Oak all the police did during that week was politely ask people to back up on the other side of the sidewalk. They didn't want bodies and cars parked on the approaches and blocking the views of folks trying to pull out into traffic. A very reasonable request n my opinion. PLUS at some points along Woodward folks are traveling at 45/50MPH with people standing right at the curb AND with some drag racing going on every now and then standing back abit is a good idea.

Sometimes people are to stupid for their own good, even car people, and need guidance on where to park, stand and sit.

Oh yeah, and I wanted to mention, a post on the Woodward Dream Cruz or any other HOT ROD RELATED topic is not O/T

[53SledSleeve]

I agree Denise, some people are too stupid for their own good. If you need a license to drive, hunt, or buy a gun....you should need one to have kids. That is another subject altogether.

I fully agree that it isn't a good idea to stand right on the curb on Woodward. With a speed limit of 45, that usually means that the average speed there is about 50-55mph. Some of those bystanders are dumbasses, but the vast majority of people out there are doing it in a safe and respectable manner. I do feel that the police should keep people off of the curbs and out of the median on Woodward, but parking in a strip of businesses after hours can't hurt much. Let Darwinism take care of the morons and let everyone else have a good time. Aside from the Shell station, and maybe Pasquales across the street, there really isn't anywhere else left for people to park and rest for a few minutes before a cop comes up and asks you to leave.

The police departments and city officials have their reasons for what they do I'm sure.....I would just like to ask why.....and why it is such a big deal for 2 weeks out of an entire year to just let people cruise around a little bit. It is in fact what made Woodward famous in the first place.

[chuckspeed]

I've been seeing this sort of thing since I've come back to MI; that's ten years back.

Twits.

the fact of the matter is:

1) pre-cruising generates more revenue for local businesses than the actual Cruise, as pre-cruisers are more likely to be out of towners willing to pony up for a Big Chief at Duggan's or put their toes on the curb at Shell - AFTER buying something, of course!

2) Pre-Cruise IS controlled; the same rules are in effect ten days prior. Patrol levels are up; tolerance of street racin' is down, and if the traffic levels get high enough - they close down the Street. for the past few years early shutdown starts Tuedsay, effectively making the streets safe for sniveling minivan drivers who need another bottle of Geritol after 9:00 PM.

NetNet - although it raises my hackles to see folks bitch about the one decent party Detroit throws - it's a non-issue. It's reached nationwide iconic status; our version of Mardis Gras with motors. New Orleans has no intention of cancelling their party (even though there are a few complainers, I'm sure) and neither will the Center of the Known Motoring Universe.

[53SledSleeve]

Its not that they want to cancel the Woodward Dream Cruise, they want to virtually eliminate the pre-cruising the week or two before hand by means of loitering and cruising tickets. I don't think that the group that made the site is as concerned about how much revenue is generated as they are about catering to a bunch of crybabies. If they actually checked out how much revenue the pre-cruising generated, I think they would change their tune. Or, maybe not.....its hard for me to understand and relate to a sissy crybaby.

[chuckspeed]

Originally Posted by 53SledSleeve

Its not that they want to cancel the Woodward Dream Cruise, they want to virtually eliminate the pre-cruising the week or two before hand by means of loitering and cruising tickets. I don't think that the group that made the site is as concerned about how much revenue is generated as they are about catering to a bunch of crybabies. If they actually checked out how much revenue the pre-cruising generated, I think they would change their tune. Or, maybe not.....its hard for me to understand and relate to a sissy crybaby.

as someone who hangs out on the Street from the day the salt is washed off by the first rain to the day the first snow flies - there's no way to enforce ordinances any more than is currently being enforced.
This is just a LHW (large hand waving) event - a lot of noise.

here's a pic of what it looked like from Duggans' second floor paito on tuesday evening this year - as you can see, the Street is jam-packed with fire-breathin, mother-rapin', tire-burnin' badass street-racin' hooligans intent on causin' nothin' but trouble!

sheesh.

[53SledSleeve]

Originally Posted by chuckspeed

as someone who hangs out on the Street from the day the salt is washed off by the first rain to the day the first snow flies - there's no way to enforce ordinances any more than is currently being enforced.
This is just a LHW (large hand waving) event - a lot of noise.

here's a pic of what it looked like from Duggans' second floor paito on tuesday evening this year - as you can see, the Street is jam-packed with fire-breathin, mother-rapin', tire-burnin' badass street-racin' hooligans intent on causin' nothin' but trouble!

sheesh.

I'm not as concerned about the classics in that pic, or even the SSR.....but that Dodge Caravan going southbound looks like its about ready to start up some shit. Big time. Ha ha ha. Pretty accurate pic of the "mayhem" that takes place on Woodward.

[hotrodladycrusr]

Toby, why don't you fill the HAMB in on what your plans are regarding this. I'm sure I'm not the only HAMB member that will attend and back you up at the different city council meetings.

Chuck, the different cities can very easliy pass "no cruising" ordinances that make it illegal to pass a certain spot more then once in a certain time frame. They did just such a thing in Plymouth not too long ago. I guess they were having some issues with kids hanging out and causing trouble around that park in the city center. Not sure how much it's inforced now BUT the ordiances are there should the city decide they need to.

On Telegraph in Redford, the cops block off the Randazzles parking lot and tell everyone to scram or your getting a lottiering ticket. This has been going on since the 70's in that area of Telegraph around Joy Rd. About 10 years ago my buddy, who was about 50 at the time got a ticket for lottering in that parking lot with his AC Cobra. Went to court and lost.

When I was in Denver a couple of years ago I asked in the Harley dealership where the local cruzn took place. They told me no where cuz it was illegal to cruz. Those are just a few examples, I'm sure there are hundreds of cities that have done the same thing to help control the kids hanging out.

While it would be physically impossible to ticket evey single person thats cruzn or hanging out, the cops could sure make our lives misrable should an ordinance be passed and they are forced by the residences to enforce it.

The time to take action is now before something gets passed. 53SledSleeve has some good ideas and the time to impliment them. I'll do what I can to help out and support him. May I suggest that other HAMB folks that like to hang out on Woodward do the same.

[RileyRacing]

Originally Posted by hotrodladycrusr

I believe it is all residentual based bullshit. I can't imagine a business owner NOT wanting people there.

Did you ever go to Wooly Bully's when it was off Seven Mile in Northville for the Wednesday Cruise? Lots of cars, lots of people. But the owners of the businesses in the strip mall behind it were major D I C K S. They would rope off parking spots, call the cops if you used one outside of the "perimeter" of the cruise, just be a pain in the ass. So, when my buds and I wanted to get some Chinese, we said "F U" to the dickheads that blocked the spots across from their restaurant and went back to Plymouth.

Maybe it's that same attitude these folks have. While exposing your business to 1.2 million plus people to most would seem like a good thing, theres always the ones who want to ruin someone elses good time.

Jay

[hotrodladycrusr]

Originally Posted by SixGunner

Did you ever go to Wooly Bully's when it was off Seven Mile in Northville for the Wednesday Cruise?

Jay

I was there every single Wed nite for YEARS

The reality was the owner of the strip mall property wanted to SELL part of the parking lot to the owner of Wooly Bullys because WB's customers were using the strip mall parking lot on a daily/nightly basis, not just on Wed nites. The owner of Wooly Bullys did not want to pay hence that huge fence went up. It was a turf war between the owner of the strip mall property and WB's.

I attended many Northville city council meeting where it was the condo owners across the street and 1/2 mile down complaining about the music from the DJ. Not one business owner from that strip mall was there, or at least they never stood up and said a word.

The exact same thing went down at Kicker's on Plymouth Rd in Livonia. They had a nice cruz nite there for years THEN new houses were built behind the business and all hell breaks loose cuz the home owners are complaining about the noise.....and it was usually broken up by dark.

[RileyRacing]

I hate Yuppies. That's why I live in South Canton.

You probably saw a younger, skinnier (more hair) me then, we used to go all the time too, just never had a car there.

See ya on the 10th, right?

Jay

[hotrodladycrusr]

Yeah, the 10th.

You MIGHT remember a much skinner streetrod gal cruzn around in a pepto bismol pink '47 Ford convert with a black top. I always parked in that very corner, right across from the patio area and was usually there by 4pm to cop my spot. Boy, have times changed.

[theHIGHLANDER]

"On Telegraph in Redford, the cops block off the Randazzles parking lot and tell everyone to scram or your getting a lottiering ticket. This has been going on since the 70's in that area of Telegraph around Joy Rd. About 10 years ago my buddy, who was about 50 at the time got a ticket for lottering in that parking lot with his AC Cobra. Went to court and lost."

That's what got me into bracket racing. Redford did a sweep at Dunkin Donuts one night in the early 90s...took drivers license', registrations, etc, then told people to come to the station to get em. Immediate ticket once you hit the road. They maced people for asking questions, an all out "riot squad" attack of car folk having good clean fun, AT A FUCKIN COFFE SHOP!!! I did WDC the 1st year and never went back. Just not my gig I guess. 4hrs in traffic to try and find some friends only to have cops tell me to get lost for no reason around 8:30pm. I've heard good stories but it's a sour deal for me.

Killing the pre-cruise week is like saying you don't want any water cuz you're thirsty. Anything the masses like there's always a crop of dip fucks who just "don't get it". Remember the American way is to lobby hard and get heard. Make sense of it. Tell the local biz's to support your actions. They pay taxes.

In a non-related action 26 people were able to ban snowmobiles from Yellowstone for a short time. it's a story that get's me pissed just thinking about it due to the lies and propaganda and the slimey lack of public input offered for a hearing. It got overturned the following year, but it's the point of how things can happen.

But the reality is this...you drive somehwere to create commerce, visit friends or family, sight see, or just because you like to drive. Is that cruising? Speed limits, seatbelts, and all other "legal constraints" in place, where's the broken law?