Cruising
The American Heritage Dictionary defines "cruising" as "To sail or travel about, as for pleasure or reconnaissance" and "To go or move along, especially in an unhurried or unconcerned fashion". But Winnipeg's cruising scene is more than that.
The cruising scene here is an old tradition that sees more than just cruising for most participants. A big part of the cruise is stopping and chatting with friends or acquaintances, discussing not only cars, but anything that more than one person may have an interest in. For many Sunday night cruisers, this social interaction is what it's all about.
Many "cruisers" simply park in one place, and don't cruise at all. They're out there to converse, and check out other rides. And that brings us to my observations of last Sunday night's cruise.
Driving West on Portage Avenue, I noticed what appeared to be an increased police presence on the streets. Then I started noticing that some of the lots where "cruisers" hang out were empty, kept clear by security guards dutifully keeping what seemed like the majority of parking lots empty.
Now, I heard last year and the year before rumours about the WPS trying to convince businesses along Portage Avenue to block their lots off Sunday nights, in an attempt to break up the cruising. If anyone "in the know" can confirm or deny this, I'd sure like to know. Because if it is true, I have to ask "what are they thinking?"
Making sure there's limited places to stop sure isn't going to stop anyone from driving, is it? It is, in fact, making people drive. So what's the theory? Reverse psychology? They figure that if you have to drive, you'll stop?
C'mon, people let's do a little thinking here. Be it the WPS, or the business owners, you know darned well that a lot of that is because of pressure from the residents in that area. And nobody seems to be using that grey matter between their ears. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the local residents don't have something to complain about.
But folks - The cruising is there! It's not going to go away in an great hurry. And if it does, where to? Over the last 25 years or so, I've seen central locations be broken up by the police, and re-form somewhere else. What's going to be different this time? Nothing.
Closing parking lots stops cruisers from, well, stopping. Keeps them cruising. Keeps those tailpipes roaring and keeps those tires squealing. I have to wonder if residents in that area know that the cruisers are there because they got chased there? And next year, will it be another neighbourhood?
Anyone remember the prostitutes that got chased out the the business district? Know where they are now? Residential streets. The same thing is happening with the cruisers. Just migrating from one spot to another. The next spot may be worse than where they are now.
No, the answer isn't closing parking lots. It's opening them up.
