Police plan increased presence during Street Machine Weekend

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 14, 2023.

Herald file photo Car enthusiast line Mayor Magrath Drive South during the unofficial Friday Night Cruise on last year's Street Machine Weekend.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

City drivers will be cruising for a legal bruising if they get carried away with the fun during Street Wheelers Car Club hosts Street Machine Weekend which begins today.

The weekend is an annual celebration of everything cars and trucks and the city can expect many to converge here to watch the spectacle.

And Lethbridge Police Service members will be out in force to make sure everyone is safe while having fun.

Sergeant Danny Lomness, who is in charge of the LPS Traffic Response Unit, said Thursday that police want to make sure that everyone obeys the rules of the road.

“We’re going to see an increased volume of traffic, mainly up and down Mayor Magrath Drive South. …and we just want to pass on that we want everybody to make sure they’re being safe.

“It’s an exciting time for car enthusiasts and people that like to see special cars and we just want to make sure they’re abiding by the rules of the road so not only the vehicles on the road but the pedestrians and the other people on the side of the road are also safe,” said Lomness.

Police will have an increased presence, focusing on driving habits. In 2022, LPS handed out just more than 100 violation tickets, towed three vehicles and charged one person with impaired driving, Lomness added.

Burnouts, stunting, smoke shows at intersections and parking lots as well as loud exhausts are among the violations police see during the event.

The fact there is no controlled cruise doesn’t ease police concerns.

“It’s not a sanctioned cruise, it’s still very much a cruise that has a lot of people coming from a lot of different places which we see a significant increase in the flow of traffic” on Mayor Magrath specifically, he said.

Safety concerns can happen on private property as well as on public roadways, he said.

“Even if you are on private property and you’re doing these things you still have to be aware of everybody around you and anybody that’s watching.”

Street Machine Weekend kicks off with a poker run today between noon and 5 p.m.

On Saturday, the 100-foot dash returns to the Exhibition Park grandstand starting at 10 a.m.

Events come to a close on Sunday with a Show and Shine at Galt Gardens between 8 a.m. and noon with an awards ceremony at 3 p.m.

The weekend attracts participants not only from Lethbridge and southern Alberta but also other provinces and the U.S.

Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter