10/28 Work Session Public Comment from Dustin LeftridgeDustin Leftridge
645 Fifth Avenue East
Kalispell, MT 59901
dustin.leftridge@gmail.com
October 25, 2024
Dear Counsel,
I’m writing to encourage the city of Kalispell to step up enforcement of local traffic laws,
reduce noise pollution, and generally bring order to downtown Kalispell.
Don’t get me wrong—I love cool cars, but there is a time and a place for everything. On
Friday nights, from 5 p.m. to midnight, I can expect loud revving engines and hot-rodding
cars accelerating on Main Street and on residential streets. I have no interest in taking my
family downtown on Friday nights and can expect to hear the noise from my and my
children’s bedrooms from five blocks away until late at night.
I encourage the city to enforce the ordinances intended to mitigate such activity. In
particular,
§ 17-7 Engine Not to Be Raced.
§ 19-10(2) Disorderly Conduct.
§ 17-123 Muffler Required; Cut-Outs Prohibited.
If I were to drive around Silverbook Estates on a Friday evening, burning out and revving
my engine, I would expect the police department to be called and to be cited for my
actions. The fact that the impacted residential neighborhood happens to be close to
downtown is not a sufficient distinction to ignore the existing Code.
I appreciate the effort to examine similar ordinances regarding “Cruising,” but I do
believe that greater enforcement of existing laws can be effective in curbing unsafe and
noisy behavior.
Thanks for your effort in figuring out a happy medium where the city can provide for a
time and a place where demonstration of cool cars can be a feature of Kalispell while
mitigating the impact on local residents and businesses.
Sincerely,
Dustin Leftridge