Here ya go....
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There was an excellent article in The Toronto Star today, (one of Toronto's largest daily newspapers)
Street racers need fair and realistic solutions
Quote:
I am a police officer and an avid car enthusiast. I am in support of street racing, and I'll elaborate.
First, the notion that anyone with a modified vehicle is a "street racer" is untrue and ignorant. We are "car enthusiasts" with many being professional, hard working and responsible people. If two people race down a main road with lots of traffic during the day, they're idiots. Don't group them in with the rest of us because their actions are not condoned.
But I don't see the harm in two guys racing down a deserted industrial road at 2 a.m. with nobody around. The only people they can hurt is themselves, and I have yet to hear of a fatality under those circumstances.
People have been racing their cars on the streets for more than 50 years and you'd be naïve to think it's going to stop now. The more police push them, the more underground they go and I don't see that as a solution.
There is absolutely no dialogue or open communication between police and "the scene." I would even say that the police are hated. That may be because every time one of these guys moves, they're nailed with everything under the sun. Heck, I'd be ticked too.
A statement often heard is to "take it to the track." This is usually uttered by people who speak before they think and who have no knowledge or understanding of the facts.
I would like to see information gathered and a project set up to address this issue in hopes of finding a resolution where people can race in the GTA without it being on a populated road.
I believe this would lessen the incidence of spontaneous racing on main roads while still providing an outlet for these guys. I'd be happier knowing that they're racing, rather than stealing cars or breaking into homes.
Name and address supplied,
but withheld on request
A couple of response letters sent in to the paper from other readers (Printed in (The Toronto Star, Wheels Section:Your View, January 8th, 2005)
Racers learn from history
Quote:
Re: Street racers need fair and realistic solutions
Yourview, Jan. 1
I could not believe the comments made by the anonymous police officer regarding car-tuner enthusiasts and their illegal street-racing activities. These illegal racers aren't wearing fireproof suits, helmets, likely do not have roll bars or window retraint systems let alone a safety crew standing by to deal with emergencies.
He also dismisses (although he never explains why) those who say "take it to the track." History teaches us good lessons and the officer would do well to study the southern California car scene in the late 1950s and through the '60s. Many car enthusiasts were enjoying the increasing number of high-performance vehicles being produced. They were in the same boat — conducting dangerous and illegal street races.
Many of them banded together into car clubs and approached the community and local law enforcement to find safe and controlled environments to race. Abandoned airports and other similar venues were the birth of many of today's major automotive sporting events.
As a starter, how about the real estate at the old Downsview airport?The officer should be approaching the police association and local politicians to find places like this that will help tuner enthusiasts enjoy their passion legally and safely.
I'm disappointed that an officer of the law can't get his head out from under the hood long enough to be part of the solution instead of the problem.
N. Romani, Scarborough
Street racing is illegal. Why should a group of "car enthusiasts" expect a municipality or the province to supply them with a publicly-funded road on a regular basis, let alone not have any say on how it is used?
The owner of any property holds the legal liability for activity that occurs on it.
Anyone who thinks otherwise should see how their insurance company would view you allowing an unregulated party on your front lawn, just because it's night and you're not using it.
Similarly, many of the modifications made to cars, in addition to affecting the safety of the vehicle, likely violate the conditions of the vehicle insurer.
While they may only be small in number, the "car enthusiasts" who drive as if any road, at any time of day, is their personal race track are hurting the image of the others, since that is what the general public sees.
It's not up to the rest of the world to clean up this image.
If "car enthusiasts" want to practise their hobby, perhaps they should follow the lead of stock-car racing enthusiasts and redirect some of the money they spent on their vehicles and fund — or convince the private sector to fund — a proper racing facility.
Of course, users would have to pay and follow rules. Since much of the street-racing culture is defined by its "extreme" and counter-culture attraction, I don't think many would use it.
Len Aitchison, Wyebridge
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