The Perils of wrangling the Rush Hour

Wraith said :

Didn’t say the noise was in your imagination………

It was just the one whinged about the most whilst it was the least cause of the annoyance.

Easy target it was though, and with the Government opposed to any form of Motorsport, it was losing battle from day dot.

But why fight and kick and scream and whinge about it, we just moved on like grown ups and played another form of motor racing, people around Eastern Creek, Phillip Island and Wakefield Park embrace the bikes and cars running, not like the Nimby’s located here. There is a side effect to it all, called Tourism and they make a killing out of it.

For what its worth Wraith, I’m not a fan of motorsport in the ACT but I’m not against it either, as long as it’s not interfering with the health or lifestyle of others. I just can’t see why the Gov’t should fund a sport, or any activity for that matter, that requires a massive capital injection, significant upkeep and has limited community appeal. Surely if motorsport in the ACT was as big a money spinner as a few people say it would be, entrepreneurs would be falling over themselves to build a private track.

I also worry about any argument stating that a dedicated facility would keep hoons off the street. I have a gut feeling that the idiots element would increase their illegal and ‘free’ burnout rate across the ‘burbs to practice for the self-funded sessions at a track.

I’d be interested in your response, I really would, as I say I’m not against a track/facility in the ACT per se, I just can’t see the reason why the Gov’t should fund the sport other than a few people saying they want one or they’ll vote for someone else (and BTW: good luck convincing the Greens of the benefits a track would bring).

Certainly, Madame Workalot. However, you no doubt noticed that the respondant appeared not to have read what I’d written, where I was talking about the noise made by the spectators arriving and departing the strip, in their cars and on their bikes, using the public road.

Perhaps I need to make it clearer. People attending the dragstrip, I assume to watch but perhaps to use the facility also, seemed to generate a great deal of noise on the road that passed our residence.

The engines of their vehicles were often very loud, and there were lots of them. Plus, they seemed to indulge in driving activities on the road which involved spinning their wheels, driving around the roundabouts in such a way that they skidded and thereby made much noise, sounded their horns (at each other?), revved their engines… and as mentioned before, many of them had very loud engines.

Some dragstrip activities evidently included people camping out there for various events, and these people would head out, presumably to get food, drink, and entertainment, and so noisy activities on the road were not confined to people arriving and departing teh strip at the start and end of an event, but would go on all night.

I’m sure the users of the dragstrip can claim that their cars and bikes are very quiet, and they never revved them or lost traction on the road and we imagined the whole thing, but here we have the Rush Hour people asking their participants to be quiet while driving to and from the track, as residents are unhappy with the noise they have been making.

It is quite amazing how proponents of this noisy activity want to somehow argue that black is white.

Didn’t say the noise was in your imagination………

It was just the one whinged about the most whilst it was the least cause of the annoyance.

Easy target it was though, and with the Government opposed to any form of Motorsport, it was losing battle from day dot.

But why fight and kick and scream and whinge about it, we just moved on like grown ups and played another form of motor racing, people around Eastern Creek, Phillip Island and Wakefield Park embrace the bikes and cars running, not like the Nimby’s located here. There is a side effect to it all, called Tourism and they make a killing out of it.

ant said :

Ah ha, so all that car and motorbike noise was our imagination. Thanks for clearing that up, Wraith. With such debating skills, I’m amazed that you weren’t able to prevent the strip being closed.

I’d actually be quite interested to hear your rebuttal Ant. I’ve read many of your posts about living near the dragstrip, and here’s someone who’s actually qualified for the opposing opinion.

While I very much believe that people make lots of noise going to-and-from events such as this,

…and it’s not nimbyism, it’s founded on fact and experience.

By definition, if it “in your backyard” and you are against it, then it is NIMBYism.

Ah ha, so all that car and motorbike noise was our imagination. Thanks for clearing that up, Wraith. With such debating skills, I’m amazed that you weren’t able to prevent the strip being closed.

ant said :

Apoc said :

Ant: as long as the people who use the track respect the people who live by the track and vice versa, everyone is happy.

I used to live on the road to Canberra’s un-lamented dragway. The noise, sometimes all night, of the spectators arriving and leaving, or if they were camping out there, visiting various establishments and returning to the dragway, was utterly horrific.

People who like motorsport and burnouts and drag-offs etc often have noisy cars and bikes, and like doing the screeching wheels thing and often have patronised after-market exhaust shops too. Evidently.

No one, apparently, wants to live near such facilities and it’s not nimbyism, it’s founded on fact and experience.

If you lived on the actual road to the strip, you lived basically on the airport land, now I assume you mean Pialligo, so you lived on the other side of the airport to the strip. Most of the “noisy” cars that attended the events, were brought on trailers, I used to be one of them, ran a dedicated drag car there, car on trailer to and from event. Now, points, the noise from the cars, was once a month maybe, you had aircraft noise every day, which was louder than the cars running at the strip, so you say this isn’t nimbyism, I don’t believe you.

There were also trucks in and out Queanbeyan every day as well the planes, much louder than the cars that ran once a month, I give up here, I can’t get the point you make about it not being nimbyism, good to hear you moved though, saved your eardrums……

We ran tests using the right equipment way back then, the noise from the airport was worse than the cars from the strip.

Good to see a event being planned to counter bad publicity. Keep up the good work guys.

Apoc said :

Ant: as long as the people who use the track respect the people who live by the track and vice versa, everyone is happy.

I used to live on the road to Canberra’s un-lamented dragway. The noise, sometimes all night, of the spectators arriving and leaving, or if they were camping out there, visiting various establishments and returning to the dragway, was utterly horrific.

People who like motorsport and burnouts and drag-offs etc often have noisy cars and bikes, and like doing the screeching wheels thing and often have patronised after-market exhaust shops too. Evidently.

No one, apparently, wants to live near such facilities and it’s not nimbyism, it’s founded on fact and experience.

Sounds like a decent event and a good opportunity to test their cars in a semi-controlled and safe environment instead of on public roads in the middle of the night. Other car clubs I know of hold similar events at Wakefield Park in Goulburn, they’re fairly cheap if you get enough people to attend and better if you don’t have idiots who think they’re the next Michael Schumacher just because they have an expensive and loud car.

Apoc said :

Ant: as long as the people who use the track respect the people who live by the track and vice versa, everyone is happy.

But then they say “the neighbours whinged a lot”, not theta they had valid complaints. hardly respect. Motorsport isn’t my thing (unless you call an F-16 viper pulling a 9G turn at less than 500ft a motorsport) but these guys sound like idiots. I don’t care what they do to each other on a track but if they try it on a public road their cars can be cubed.

take gambling for instance, questionable moral practice – people judge, although a lot of people do it to varied degrees, what if it were outlawed? Lets not kid ourselves.. people would still do it… and if they open a casino where you could legally do it, people would still do it in their homes illegally – but to a lesser degree, tires and rear bumpers arent cheap!

I’ll tip my hat to the organisers of rush hour for this event. While it may be said those who hoon won’t confine it to a track, it leaves no arguement for not having anywhere to drive in such a manner.

Just a note to the critics; the message was personal and shouldnt all be taken literal, we dont plan on spit roasting anyones spouse… unless shes hot! the invite is for friends of RH – if any members of the public who turn up and refuse to follow directions (safety directions) will be asked to leave, refusal will be considered trespassing.

Track entrants are not open to the public sorry.

And the password just confirms you read the whole thing, so thanks! 🙂

Ant: as long as the people who use the track respect the people who live by the track and vice versa, everyone is happy.

Love their idea of 90dB. Proves that they don’t have a clue.

who’d risk their life and be a marshall?!?!
Clearly, so you can be disobeyed and make homoeroticsexytime with someone’s girlfriend while they’re at work, since that person did agree to the terms and conditions on the invite.

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sepi said :

And it really makes the case the if you give people a race facility to muck around on, they will behave on the roads. Not.

Yeah, I do so love that chestnut. It’s a worry how often the proponents trot it out though.

As if people who like doing burnouts, helis (a progression of 360 drifts, I think) and skidding off the track will confine this to an official track.

And notice the bit about residents on the roads to the track who are unhappy about noise and hooning… gee that brings back memories. People who use tracks/dragways etc aren’t just noisy on the track, surprise surprise.

justbands said :

I don’t mind….but some may take offense to the uneditied “f***ed” in that text jb.

Anybody “taking offense” when reading a swear word is going to have a real sad, sorry time on the internet. Interestingly, bleeping out a few letters but keeping the word entirely still readable seems to be considered by these people to render such a dangerous thing harmless.

I expect most of them are very fond of taking offense, and like people to make a big fuss of them when they do. Oh well, I guess it’s not much harm done to save a little bit of trouble.

And it really makes the case the if you give people a race facility to muck around on, they will behave on the roads. Not.

If people are going off the track all the time…who’d risk their life and be a marshall?!?!

Rather an amusing read, like a glimpse into another culture…

Urban Dictionary always knows terms like that.

Skidbladnir said :

Way to keep that password secret, guys.
(Change it to swordfish, nobody will ever guess that one)

Unless you go to speakeasys, or know about the Sanity clause. (everyone know’s there ain’t no sanity clause)

Skidbladnir said :

Way to keep that password secret, guys.
(Change it to swordfish, nobody will ever guess that one)

@Justbands:
Its like a spitroast.

ew.

Way to keep that password secret, guys.
(Change it to swordfish, nobody will ever guess that one)

@Justbands:
Its like a spitroast.

stand-still Burnouts and heli’s are not allowed on the track – yet

and while explaining the Sydney harbour reference, what’s a “heli”?

“we’ll Sydney harbour your missus while you’re at work” – I’ve not heard this (sure to be charming) term before, can anyone explain?

I don’t mind….but some may take offense to the uneditied “f***ed” in that text jb.