While I am not a lawyer or judicial scholar, as a citizen infused with a zeal for civic duty, I do have passable knowledge of governing bodies and documents, from the U.S. Constitution to Montana’s own unique, progressive, and environmentally focused state constitution. However, I have yet to find a document that enshrines the “rights” of cars, chiefly those deployed on Kalispell’s Main Street for the purpose of dragging and hot-rodding weekly on Friday nights. The ongoing saga of classic car cruisers, besieged by those who drag, speed, and drive recklessly against the very legitimate concerns of downtown business owners and neighbors six years after a local cruising group brought the activity back during the height of the pandemic. What transformed from showing off classic cars and restoration efforts has led to an untenable situation for downtown Kalispell, negatively impacting downtown businesses, homeowners in the surrounding neighborhoods, creating an exhaust-filled atmosphere that chokes out any meaningful dialogue or change because of some inherent right to drag Main Street.
Recently, the Daily Interlake reported on revived conversations between members of the Friday night car community, City Council, and the newly formed Downtown Forward Coalition. Two years ago, city council was presented with an opportunity to consider an ordinance to put limits around cruising, a move akin to applying appropriate speed limits, but that failed in favor of motorists’ rights and maintaining the myth of nostalgia. Yet, significant public comment from area stakeholders, including businesses and homeowners, continues to identify the concerns of declining business, noise disturbances, and unsafe and reckless driving behavior. Increase police presence is now required, adding to an already untenable load our law enforcement officers are expected to manage simply because this type of cruising is somehow a protected right. The “bad apples” who turns Main Street into their own private racetrack are simply shrugged off, because what’s more American than cars?
Nostalgia and community building are often cited as why downtown is the preferred venue and somehow these attributes equate to the right of an automobile over the safety of businesses, property owners, and anyone else who wants to shop or eat downtown without inhaling greasy smoke from burning tires. Small business owners in Kalispell face a myriad of challenges to keep their shops open and they are, without a doubt, the backbone of our community. They don’t need the additional challenge of a weekly event that causes them to close early or refund hotel guests for the disturbance. These are the businesses that donate for the glut of causes needed throughout our valley. Automobiles have no right to hijack our downtown and threaten the stores that work tirelessly to stay open, making significant contributions to local the tax base, economic success, and job creation. Somehow, the rights of motorists trump these American goals in Kalispell.
It’s a curious set of double-standards when it comes to who belongs and who doesn’t in downtown. Members of this community, which included town leaders and county officials, were disturbed by the presence of homeless individuals, many of them in this situation not because it’s a preferred “lifestyle choice” but rather the Flathead Valley is one of the most expensive counties in the county. There were some “bad apples,” if I may use the same folksy phrase, that caused issues at local business and residences but officials took swift actions from dismantling park benches to revoking the Flathead Warming Center’s permit. These “bad apples” didn’t belong and didn’t require attention but somehow motorists who troll downtown might even be worthy of having the city construct a drag strip for their habit.
Turns out, when it comes to nostalgia and cars, these self-ordained rights matter more than anything else.
So, if there are guaranteed rights associated with dragging, I think there should be an impact fee. Businesses must pay impact fees to offset their usage and reliance on city and county services like sewer and water, and if this group is serious about their integrity to our community, they should offset their burden on downtown by paying an impact fee. This fee could help reimburse the businesses who can’t stay open on Friday night or have to issue a refund for a night in a hotel where sleep is prevented by the roar of an engine and squeal of tires. The fee could be applied to offset the need for additional law enforcement and compensate taxpaying homeowners in the surrounding neighborhoods. The fee could surely be used at the road department to repair the very roads that cater to these cruisers.
Rights come with responsibility, but the second half of that argument tends to get lost in nostalgia. I’m also nostalgic for well-funded public schools, libraries, and emergency services. There are state constitutional protections for a clean and healthy environment and it might be worth testing air quality in downtown after a Friday night. Isn’t that my right, too?