madpole

Hi guys,

I saw this article a couple of days ago Max Power | Essex police to end cruising
Has anyone of you been affected by this nu order if this could be discussed in a public forum at all?


Other than that, since this is my first contribution to this forum, perhaps I should add that I've been enjoying a P1 for just over a year now. I've been lurking around SN overwhelmed by the sheer volume of threads, and decided to register in April. I also finally made it to the Southend cruise a fortnight ago. I didn't expect that many cars. Nice motors too. However, I hope this battered Volvo estate driver tailgating me and giving me the evil eye is not one of the regulars.

Ms Gooner 1

Welcome to the club

Interesting article. There are areas round here (Basildon) that are renowned for their activities on a saturday night - namely Paycock Road and quite surprisingly, that road isn't named in the article?

Anyhow, I think there has been things like this in place before, I think now though, paycock road has been littered with speed humps and bollards in a measure to stop such activities. It wont stop it and if these cruisers can't do it there - they'll go on somewhere else?

Last December (having been someone who did frequent paycocke road and the lorry park), i got so stuffed off with the local papers slagging "boy racers" off with their "anti-social behaviour" etc, I actually wrote to the editor and had my letter printed in the January 1st edition!! Stating I was NOT a boy racer partaking in anti-social behaviour - but a twenty something mother of 3, who's a member of the school committee, but who happened to have a scoob and enjoy car cruises and meets??

My solution was for these "cruisers" to have somewhere to go - why not let us have the lorry park, charge us all £5 to get in, with a police presence and let us get on with it. For something thats not actually "planned and organised" I personally think that such places do quite well organising themselves! Everyone there has at least one thing in common - CARS, and instead of being lagged up rolling out of pubs, causing REAL problems and fighting etc etc - these people seem unfairly portrayed.

Anyhow, rant over!!

Scooby-Greg

I make you so right however there are the few *** heads that give cruisers and car enthusiasts alike a bad name and its down to them we get treated the same which is totally unfair but what can we do ?

N1gel 1970

i used to go down to southend all the time in the late 80's eraly 90's. they've been talking abut stopping the cruises since then, so this is nothing new. the local shops, takeways will lose a fortune and will protest the most if the local council try to stop the saturday night cruises

if you read the that link, half way down it says

as far as i know, the essex cruise nights are well run, well organise and they don't cuase any problems, therefore they wouldn't be 'intimidating or harassing others'

Nate

iTrader: (2)

It depends on whether the Police want to move you on, they may say you are causing harrassment, just to do such a thing .

Where have all our rights gone ?

Scooby-Greg

We have no rights thats the thing but yet we still pump over priced petrol in to our cars pay our road tax and insurance what the hell for to be told where we can and cant drive our cars

Kris84

iTrader: (1)

I completely agree im a regular out in my scooby on a saturday night, not to cause problems or to drive like a mad man, but the police decided to pull up to me and 3 other cars all sitting in a line talking to tell us to move on and if we didn't he had the right to arrest us. Im sorry but what do we pay for fuel now??? and my road tax is well over £200 we were just talking.. Sorry moan over, if they make some where we can all go i would happly pay. ive been saying for ages why not let us have north weld once a month charge £5 a car, theres no houses around there so noise shouldn't be to much of a problem theres a runway there so people that want to go fast can do in a safer enviroment 0.60 or quarter of a mile or somthing and even have police there to control it.

Ms Gooner 1

I agree with all of whats been said above - and this constant barage of "anti-social" bahaviour that keeps dribbling out of everyones mouths - i actually think its very socialble
Even our cruise at the ESC - I think its very sociable and we're not harrassing OR intimidating - we leave other drivers and road users alone

The Lorry Park over burnt mills seems to be th place of choice here on a saturday night along with paycock road - and thats on an industrial estate with no houses around - and I've seen some fantastic displays of do-nuts and drifting over there - yes of course - there are a few idiots, but you generally give them a wider birth LOL. I think that whilst cruisers are "contained" to an specific area, the lorry park for instance - its safer than turfing them out onto the public roads that run along to busy places such as festival leisure park etc - where joe public on his way home on a saturday night is more at risk of being caught up with a couple of ASBO wielding cruisers LOL.

Long Live the cruisers and roll on the day when the public, politicians and the police start hearing what we have to say

(LOL should we start a committee PMSL)

Scooby-Greg

We should people obviously have something to say about us its only right we get a chance to defend ourselves

lollyMccray

I agree with you all on this one years ago not saying im very old i use to go to lakeside which was really good, mand by police so you could see peoples cars, listen to there sounds with out people driving mad, i also have been to paycocke road in my time and it is true since the humps have gone down they have moved on its a shame, but on another note i was at tescos basilden after the convoy to southend and i got blocked in by the police and got checked over because at the time my car had decals on and one had just been stolen same colour everything so i didnt mind i couldnt stop laughing someone my age stealing cars and a women aswell

Ms Gooner 1

LOL - I got pulled over in Gooners car just after the FMI had been fitted and the garage forgot to put the number plate on - it was in the window but had slid down when I was on the roundabout - I had 2 kids in the car and they forced me to stop on a dual carriageway running by the town centre - I asked if I could pull round the corner off the carriageway and the copper said no!!

Anyway - he was a bit of a pilock, started asking about the exhaust etc and the MOT, he gave me a £30 for not displaying my numberplate but couldn't really put anything else on me.

The police have a bit of a bad time no doubt - they bear the brunt from people like us and they're only following orders themselves.

I often joke to gooner and say if we had loads of money we could buy some land and make it into an arena, not get greedy on the price and give like minded people somewhere to go

lollyMccray

That would be excellent there will always be people who lv there cars and want to mod them in some way i no lakeside was stopped then drystreet was open but never went so cant comment on it

Cornelius

iTrader: (2)

I used to go to the Lakeside Cruise in the early 1990's in my Mk2 escort, it used to be fantastic with people showing off their cars, sound off competitions, judged by at the time - Ian Pinder, who had the loudest sound system in the UK, all packed into a Cortina!!!
You always get a few idiots, but one in particular got his come uppence when he tried doing doughnuts and ended up blowing his gearbox up spectacularly.

On the whole, most cruisers are there to enjoy the cars, but sadly the minority of people do affect the overal image of a proper cruise.

Like the Gooners, I have also thought that it would be great to buy some land locally for some organised petrol head fun. One arena for show and shine, another for sound offs, another for burnouts etc

Nate

iTrader: (2)

I remember Ian Pinder as well , trying to think of his (at the time) mate, who was also into sound systems (and I think still is) ...... Does Mike Newell ring a bell ???

Ms Gooner 1

We stumbled (quite accidently) upon the lakeside cruise on our way home from the tunnel run last year! Took the wrong slip and ended up with our front end stoved in almost - some half wit going sideways round the roundabout just about missed us - more for the Gooners driving than his own! It was chaos, a real accident waiting to happen - people actually parked on the roundabout and all round the sides fecking idiots!
the lorry park and paycocke road, do support the "straight line drivers" lol

We should make a pact that if anyone on here wins the lotto big time - they'll purchase some land for us to play with

BeeSTi

As someone who lives a short distance (IN A HOUSE might I Add), from your so call ideal place for doughnut and Drifting/ burnouts. I have two children, one of three who has not slept from birth because of this event.............Not only on a Saturday night but Fridays, Sundays any bank holiday and YES that included Christmas Day........

These events are anti social, on a good day we hear them, and if the wind blows in the wrong direction it sounds like they are in the F++king front garden.........



Police raid every night block the exit....drug check every car, insurance check that should do about 70% of them, then CRUSH the ******* lot.

Cornelius

iTrader: (2)

The name rings a bell mate, but can't quite place him

Ms Gooner 1

I stand corrected (wouldn't be the first time LOL). Sorry Beesti - I was unaware that there were houses close enough to the Lorry Park (I assume thats where you mean) as I'm quite certain that the houses by Paycocke road have all been bought out by the Council.

However, whilst with that in mind and the annoyance it must cause you and no doubt other folk where you live - giving cruisers somewhere to go for this type of interest would be far better and safer, as opposed to turfing them onto the public highways............. even though I'm sure you'd obviously rather it were somewhere else.

BeeSTi

Vicky I am all for organised events in a purpose built environment such as a airdrome, race track etc...... but even these places would have noise limits and a minimum requirement of competence and compliance to allow it to be insured and marshaled SAFLEY ...............



All of this would of course put it out of the reach of many of the people who frequent places like, the lorry park............. I know this as having visited myself the lorry park on many occasion's up to 4am (when they usually decide to go home) and seeing the state of the vehicles used and the people using them.


And as for Paycock Road we have friends who live the other side of whitmore way from you guys and they have had to complain when that was a weekly event also.
I think there was a young girl killed at paycock road a few month back as a car lost control at the roundabout ....................


Uninsured I Believe

SirFozzalot

I believe one of the problems with having people pay to get in somewhere to do what they want is that the land owner has some sort of responsibility as to what happens on his/her land when the public are involved and so the requirement for public liability insurance and crowd control etc. comes in.

Arena Essex did it (not sure if they still do) but even then it became too "controlled" due to fire engines and rescue crews being in attendance and marshalls every where saying what you can and can't do and where you can and can't do it. It's a great idea, but unfortunately it's not the sort of environment most "cruisers" want and so they end up back out on the streets.

I remember the lakeside cruises in the '90's. I used to love it, some awesome cars there and to be honest it's what really got me in to cars.

Ms Gooner 1

I think Essex Arena started charging too much money. Because as you say - they no doubt had to cover large overheads for insurance and marshalls etc.

I agree that the cruises and "displays" that go on can be a nuisance as Beesti has pointed out with regards to noise etc, but turfing them out onto the public roads I feel is far more dangerous. I enjoy cars and what they can do - I enjoy seeing them do-nut and drift and would love to be able to do it myself LMAO - but agree that some of the idiots who try to do this are totally irresponsible and haven't the slightest idea (or care) in the potential damage.

V4JDMSTi

iTrader: (2)

good, i say. it will make it better for the sensible ones amoungst us.

basically, what the orders appear to be saying is "don't act like a prat doing donuts and flamefests or cheer people on that are and you'll be fine".

what they need to do is ban bad quality, loud stereos and chavy bodykits on cars that have hamsters in wheels for engines and it'll be even better.

Gangsta Smurf

the southend 'cruisers' don't give two ***** about the police. Their presence only increases the appeal of the whole scene ... without the police hounding I doubt it would be as popular as it is. Dodging them and their silly. fruitless and waste of time road blocks and ASBO threats make the whole thing more interesting. Making events legal has been tried, and subsequently died ... it doesn't work period! there are plenty of places that crusiers go to now avoiding the blast the cops are having on basildon, lakeside and canvey ... that will last three months tops and then it will all go back to normal and basildon will resume it's after hours cruise capital status.

Phil

I think Rob sums it up well

The definition of "cruisers" is a wide one

"We" see it as the Posers Cruise well behaved and IMHO well run

"others" see it differently and the underground element as Gangsta says is part of the enjoyment

The Police have there Job to do and I certainly don't condone the actions of some of these guys but as Gangsta says it just moves the "problem" on


In Summary................................No easy answers

WRX_Dazza

As Beesti says, there are proper tracks and organised events for these activities, if some muppets decide they want to doughnut round an industrial estate - on a "Public Road" then they need to do the time, if caught.

I dont see why my taxes should be spent on ambulances and fire engines trying to cut some chav out of a nova, when there are far more worthy illnesses/accidents to attend.

Underground events will always be around and as long as they don't interfere with me, i dont really have a view on it, but it will nearly always effect someone, be it, the landowner, or the unfortunate parents that might have to identify their 16 year old daughter down the morgue. due to some wannabe drifter losing his car into the baying crowd.

Yes, cars kill, sad but true, hence the "illegal" banner placed on these activities.

Police should always be seeing to address these illegalities and keep it under some sort of control.

i have first hand experience of a friend losing his fiancee down southend in the late eighties..... none of it is worth it, believe me.

Gangsta Smurf

yes but the crowd is there knowing what is going to happen ... the danger is understood, and the risks are with the people deciding to stand there! As a very influential person said to me recently "a car's reputation is made and lost on the streets, not in a magazine or the top gear test track" ... this is why 'cruising' will always be there my friend.

Rallying is just as dangerous and spectators take a hell of a lot more risk to view that.

Unfortunately we are all part of the circle. We drive iconic cars which are the street racers choice ride and we happily parade them in the place that the country widely recognises as the capital of all things related to 'street motoring.'

I've seen many people on here driving their cars in just the fashion you are slating, and then getting on the band wagon afterwards. Including you Dazza!!!

WRX_Dazza

they might do at psychic (sp) events


yeah of course.... i bought a scooby cos i saw one down sarfend.. not on telly at all... honest!!! hahahhahhaha



not a Mass-Debate, just my view, that's all.

WRX_Dazza

stick your money where your fookin big gob is and tell me you've seen me down the trailer park after hours, doughnutting in carparks, racing down the chavildon industrial estate or any other illegally "dis-organised events"

yes, i do have a quick rip through the gears now and again, we all do, but i know my limits, and drive how i want to drive, not to impress others....

this just ends in pointless accidents, as you of all people should now know...

dont try and brush others with your teenybopping impress techniques, some of us have lives. hahahah

Gangsta Smurf

anyone here will vouch that I am always happy to put my money where my mouth is!!! I have nothing to prove in that department.

Whatever you say about my 'teenybopping impress techniques' they've afforded me some great luxuries in life and continue to do so. So ... in short ...

yellowvanman

The frequency that you are agreeing with Mr Smurf is becoming a worry!

But in truth our 'well behaved and well run' cruise, does include certain aspects that when viewed from outside could easily fall into the same category as the Basildon chav meets, admittedly without the idiot burn outs and doughnuts (well apart from the sugared variety).

We are all to some extent guilty of this.