The City of Langford is throwing its doors open to the hot rod and classic car community after a parking dispute forced the enthusiasts out of their longtime Royal Oak hangout.
Mayor Stew Young said Langford would be happy to host the weekly Saturday night “cruise-in” if car owners can’t come to an agreement with owners of the Royal Oak Shopping Centre in Saanich.
“We have the speedway out here and a lot of people in Langford grew up around racing and hot rods and things like that,” Young said. “It could be a mini car show every Saturday night, and it would fit well with the kind of culture we are trying to create out there — family friendly.”
The spat between the car owners, who have been gathering near Francelli’s Coffee House for more than 10 years, and Hansbraun Investments heated up last Saturday after eight car owners received $32 parking tickets during the informal weekly meet-up. Three of the tickets have been rescinded.
“This car show has been coming to Royal Oak for many years and no one has ever asked for permission. There’s no real organizers and it’s not been authorized,” said property manager Victoria Shannon.
Hansbraun decided to take action after receiving complaints from tenants and customers. The tickets came after warnings that the event was not allowed.
“There are times the whole parking lot would fill up and it becomes a fairground-like atmosphere, which is fine, but it clogs the drive aisles, and where there are pedestrians and children there are safety and reliability issues,” Shannon said.
Tim Evans, who writes an online newsletter on Island car-related events, says Hansbraun might be short-sighted. “I can understand some of the concerns from the shopping centre operators — there were close to 100 cars there on some nights and that takes up a lot of space,” he said.
But, Evans said, “the people that own these cars are the above-average income earners and typically are using the facilities and amenities in the mall.”
Shannon, who admits the situation could have been handled better, believes they can make the gathering work for everyone. “We would like someone to come forward and say, ‘Hey, I want to organize this event, let’s work together,’ and we would be very happy to do that. Let’s organize this properly, keep it out of the main square where there’s customer flow and make it safe,” she said.
Bill Campbell, president of the Century Toppers car club, hopes to meet with Hansbraun to find a solution.
“I would like to think it could have a happy ending but it will take cool heads, and there has been a lot of mud-slinging,” said Campbell, who has been part of the Saturday cruise-in from its start. “I think there is room for middle ground.”
In a letter sent to Royal Oak merchants on Thursday, Campbell called Hansbraun’s decision to ticket an overreaction to an event that happens for no more than three hours once a week between May and September.
Unless the decision is reversed, Campbell said he would recommend to his club and other car clubs to boycott businesses at Royal Oak, and he asked that businesses protest on the event’s behalf. “I think some merchants don’t understand how much business they get out of this exposure of the centre to people, and not just on Saturday nights.”
