Friday Cruising Public Comment from Joseph BibyOpen letter to the residents of Flathead Valley --and the city council members
Be thankful you do not live anywhere near Kalispell's Main Street, especially on
Friday evenings. You have been spared the parade of reckless drivers and
showboaters, who run laps up and down Main Street for hours, revving engines
with no mufflers or modified mufflers (to make them even louder). You don't have
to be concerned for the safety of kids, pets, family, or friends that might be
threatened by the drivers who veer off the Main Street dragstrip and head through
the adjoining neighborhoods squealing their tires at speeds that are at times
double the speed limit. You have been spared attending the City Council meetings
where, despite the number of residents in attendance, almost all strongly against
the Friday event, you are told at the outset by council members like Jed Fisher
and Sid Daoud, "I will not violate the rights of our citizens (the cruisers)" and "I
will not be any part of taking this away from our people (the cruisers)" You will
have heard from these same council members that speed limits are "on the books
already" and therefore "what ain't broke don't need fixing." You have not had to
ask, If the laws exist, why are there so few examples of those laws being
enforced? And despite another council member hoping there would be "some sort
of self -policing," you have been spared the eye rolling that follows that kind of
ludicrous statement. Be thankful that you have not lost your enthusiasm for city
police where the business card you've been handed includes the motto, "striving
to exceed expectations." Be thankful that you live where you do, in
neighborhoods removed from the embarrassing spectacle of adolescents free of
accountability to the laws that are on the books. Know that tax paying residents
of Kalispell are negatively impacted every Friday night by the systemic failure of
the people whose job it is to represent and protect all of Flathead County's
citizens.
DON'T TREAD ON ME WHILE I AM TREADING ON YOU Note: a one year old LTE
The friday night cruise event on Kalispell's main street has continued to impact the safety of
families in outlying neighborhoods as it resumes for the 2025 season. Although members of the
Kalispell City Council held a work session last fall to discuss community concerns with
downtown traffic on Friday nights, a majority of the council members opposed taking any action
against the reckless driving, speeding, and noise that is commonplace at the gathering. Even
before listening to any input from those attending the city council meeting to address the
"cruisers" roaring up and down Main Street every week, councilman Sid Daoud promised to do
anything in his power to fight any restriction on cruising. Restrictions would "violate the rights to
our citizens," he claimed. Councilman Jed Fisher echoed that opinion, stating "I will not be any
part of taking this away from our people." While Fisher and Daoud were elected to represent
ALL Kalispell residents, they ignored Main Street business people who spoke of the impacts to
their hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. They ignored the parents who related stories of
excessive speed as cruisers circle back to main through the neighborhood side streets. And
they ignored the residents burdened by the noise of mufflerless revved engines and tire
burnouts. Speakers described cruisers traveling up to 40-50 miles per hour on streets located
blocks away from Main. A spokeswoman informed the audience that she routinely takes her
children to spend Friday nights at a home removed from the car rally noise.The cruisers ("our"
citizens and "our" people that Daoud and Fisher support) spoke as well. One stated that "we
are there to have fun. The speeding laws are on the books already." (Later a city councilman
repeated that statement). Another cruiser declared that he would not obey any new ordinance
that might infringe on his Friday and Saturday fun. A council member responded by noting that
he hoped there would be some sort of self -policing. Recently, a Montana highway patrolman
told me that he occasionally pursues Friday night cruisers speeding (some in excess of 120
mph) on the highway south of Kalispell. He mentioned that he would not pursue speeders
traveling north into town because of safety concerns. He added that Kalispell city officers have
been reluctant to issue citations to cruisers. A sheriffs deputy recently claimed that cruisers
wouldn't care if they were issued a speeding ticket and added, "the culture has changed." Go
down to Main Street on a Friday or Saturday evening and witness the car show/road rally. You'll
see the occasional car and truck sporting the yellow license plate with the coiled snake and the
words "don't tread on me." What the cruisers intend to say is "Don't tread on me while I am
treading on you." The first child killed or injured by speeders in a neighborhood adjoining a
cruiser event will send a strong message -- too late -- to Kalispell's residents that the cruisers'
rights and privileges have priority over the rights of everyone else in our community.