BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
The city of Boise is working on a way to potentially center pedestrians and discourage criminal activity associated with the downtown street cruise, ahead of the expected seasonal uptick in activity this spring.
Some city council members said during Tuesday’s strategic planning session that the goal is not to eliminate the cruise. People should be able to drive around downtown, just not while blasting music or modifying their exhaust.
“Cruising, as I think you all know, is the practice of driving around downtown, usually on the weekends, often with loud, high-performance cars,” said Hannah Brass Greer, director of strategic initiatives with the city of Boise. “It's been happening for decades.”
There's been an increase in complaints to the Boise Police Department and city officials about the cruise, Brass Greer said. The spike in complaints is largely due to the increased prevalence of businesses and residents downtown, not a massive expansion of the cruise.
News of plans to regulate the cruise first broke over the summer. Downtown Boise Association Executive Director Jenn Hensley emailed residents near Idaho and 14th streets explaining a Boise Police meter hooding effort.
At the end of August, Councilmember Holli Woodings, Boise Police Officer Ed Moreno and the Downtown Boise Association hosted a town hall meeting to hear concerns from business owners.
An Idaho law states that no one "shall modify the exhaust system...in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise of the vehicle," at least above the noise level of the original muffler. Boise passed a similar law in 2017, according to the Idaho Statesman.
Staff will conduct additional research through the rest of the year before presenting proposed ordinance changes and an enforcement plan in January 2023, according to Grass Breer's presentation. The expected timeline concludes with an approved ordinance and plan by February or March 2023.
Brass Greer said the goal is to address excess noise, excess exhaust and excess speed or racing.
Ultimately, Brass Greer said recommendations are to increase fines, enhance fines for repeat offenses, make repeat offenses a misdemeanor, and possibly to update ordinances which address muffler technology. The BPD is also interested in tools to measure sound and exhaust.
Fines for noise and exhaust modifications are currently $67, which Brass Greer said is not a deterrent for cruisers.
“I've been told stories of folks who are being cited, they're pulled over and cited for excess noise and they're revving their engines while they're being cited,” Brass Greer said. “That fine level’s not working.”
Staff rejected a few ideas, including one that would create a new ordinance to address cruising.
“The difficulty there is defining cruising in a way that's narrow enough to really focus on these behaviors,” Brass Greer said. “Ideas about, 'you can't circle downtown during certain hours more than three times,' — but that would catch me trying to find a parking spot.”
Councilmember Patrick Bageant said he was prepared to be skeptical because “it can’t be illegal to drive your car in circles.”
“Although the cruise isn't my jam, I get that it's part of Boise's culture. A lot of people really value it and I think a lot of young people experience our city and their newfound liberty in that way,” Bageant said.
However, he said recklessness, fights, littering and other behaviors are crimes. He added he was supportive of what staff proposed.
Councilmember Jimmy Hallyburton suggested something could be done to change the design, speed limits or traffic light timing of some downtown streets make the area a less-appealing place for people to cruise.
“If we're creating a culture that prioritizes vehicles during the downtown time, then that's what we'll see,” Hallyburton said. “If we created a culture where we were prioritizing pedestrians in the downtown area during those congested times at night, then we would see more of that activity.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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