Motion to explore legal options for street racing in Calgary defeated at committee

A Calgary city councillor’s notice of motion to explore a safe way to allow street racing to happen on closed roadways was defeated Tuesday afternoon.

The idea, put forward by Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, was put aside by a vote of 6-2 by members of the executive committee, with Chabot and Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong the only two in favour.

“The intent of what my notice of motion was designed to achieve, initially, is to provide an increased level of enforcement, safety and security for the residents, while also providing some form of outlet for those folks who would like an opportunity to make use of some of their enhancements on their vehicles,” said Chabot. 

“I can tell you that Rundlehorn Drive and Temple Drive (N.E.) in particular, you ask anyone who lives along those roads and they’ll tell you car after car after 9 p.m. make it their mission to see how fast they can get racing.”

The notice of motion will not go to council, but could be revised by Chabot, who suggested Calgary police and other emergency vehicles could also take advantage of closed tracks in the future for training purposes. 

Mayor Jyoti Gondek expressed concern over the idea however, noting that she doesn’t see enough research done to indicate Calgarians will stop street racing.

“Residents feel unsafe because their neighbourhood streets are being used for racing and I don’t disagree with that,” Gondek said.

“I guess the disconnect for me is the reach to say, if we provide a sanctioned speedway, that it will make it better. I’m missing the connection between the two things, so I’ll leave it there. I can’t support this.” 

CAR ENTHUSIASTS CALL ON CITY FOR SAFE RACING FACILITIES

The news of the defeated motion is concerning, especially for motorcycle and vehicle enthusiasts who have been looking for a place to safely race within the city since the closure of Race City Speedway about a decade ago.

Bill Ridge, who owns Auto-Mann repair shop works exclusively on classic cars and says it’s not just the younger crowd that are looking for an outlet to enjoy racing.

It's very important because it helps take the young guys off the street and it just makes the streets safer overall,” Ridge said.

“It’s so much better and safer when things like that are done at a track level, and it's a good experience for the young guys too.”

Trevor Dech, the chief instructor and owner of Too Cool Motorcycle School, agrees education is very important, especially for new drivers who want to test out their ride and prepare themselves to do so safely.

“Absolutely, because if you leave with some knowledge, you go out on the road, you know how to handle the cars better," Dech said.

“People get these cars, these motorcycles and they have all these outstanding capabilities to the equipment that they've got, but nowhere really to go out and explore those advantages."

A new, $35 million Rocky Mountain Motosports (RMM) track near Carstairs — about 65 kilometres north of Calgary — will welcome professional and amateur drivers in the spring. 

The new track is good news for those wanting to test out their vehicles and race, but car enthusiasts remain concerned that it’s still too far from city limits to deter street racing within Calgary.