Canberra car enthusiasts rallied in the national capital on Friday night to express their support for the informal cruising in Braddon during Summernats to be allowed to continue.
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The ACT government has upset car fans by confirming it is closing Lonsdale Street and Elouera Street in Braddon on the Friday and Saturday nights of Summernats 31 next month to stop the practice of show cars cruising the streets in front of large crowds.
The closures are at the request of ACT Policing which has cited safety concerns and the fact the event is unregulated. Supporters of the cruising say no one can remember a major incident happening in the three decades the tradition has played out, with the passing parade slow-moving and largely bumper-to-bumper.
Car club members met at Erindale on Friday night to express their concerns to opposition police spokesman Andrew Wall, who said the Liberals support the roads staying open during Summernats and believe the government's decision to close them was "gross over-reach".
"National and international visitors come to Summernats. It's the biggest car event in Australia - we should be showcasing the city, not locking it up," Mr Wall said.
Police Minister Mick Gentleman was also invited to Friday's gathering but did not attend. The office of Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury has confirmed he is in favour, also, of keeping the streets open to all traffic during Summernats
"Shane actually really likes Summernats coming to Canberra and agrees that Lonsdale Street should stay open for the purposes of 'blocking'," a spokeswoman said.
Mr Wall, who has been a Summernats entrant and cruised Braddon in his Monaro, said he had never seen any major problems with the cruise.
"From time to time one or two individuals might do the wrong thing but 99 per cent of people act responsibly," he said.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has sought to distance himself from the controversy, saying the street closures are not up to him.
"Road closures are not ministerial or 'political' decisions rather ones for police and regulatory authorities," Mr Barr said.
"The Braddon activities are not sanctioned Summernats events. They have no accountable organisers or public liability insurance. Nevertheless, ACT police, [Transport Canberra and City Services] and Access Canberra are making themselves available to the organiser of the Facebook group opposed to the road closure to discuss alternative arrangements."
Braddon traders have also expressed concerns they will lose out on business during the otherwise quiet month of January. Only pedestrians and local traffic will be allowed in the streets between 6pm and 1am on both January 5 and 6.
Civic Pub publican Peter Dawn was the latest to call on the government to reconsider its decision to close the streets, which effectively put an end to a large community celebration.
"We have been running Civic Pub for the past two decades and to our recollection there has never been a major injury," Mr Dawn said.
"The event brings a huge amount of tourists, the vast majority are well-behaved and love the Lonsdale Street tradition. Our staff love the event as we are able to provide more hours during what otherwise would be a quiet period of the year."
More than 3000 people have also signed a change.org petition to keep the cruising going.
Attending the get-together on Friday night was retired metal worker Ken Hansen, 72, who has been cruising the streets of Braddon since the 1960s. He said the government was out of touch to shut down the tradition.
"I think they're mad," he said.
"It's been going since the early 1960s until now and in my recollection there's been nothing untoward."
Joshua Summers, who has coordinated the protest action, said the government was considering a request to keep the streets open at least part of the evenings. He was told an answer would be forthcoming on Friday but an official informed him that was now likely next week some time.
The four-day Summernats car festival is expected to generate a $25 million economic benefit for the ACT.
The Braddon cruise has grown organically over the years and has nothing to do with the Summernats organisers.
The ACT Government is funding Summernats $200,000 per year in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
A statement from the government earlier this month said it had been "working closely with the Summernats management team as the event evolves into a more family-friendly show".
Mr Barr was asked if funding to Summernats had been predicated on reforms such as the end of the Miss Summernats competition and a crackdown on the Braddon cruising.
"The decision to not have a Miss Summernats competition was a decision of the Summernats organisers but one that I support. If the event is to grow, it needs to attract new audiences and attracting more women is an obvious opportunity," Mr Barr said.
"The government has increased our marketing, promotional and staging support of the event in a new three-year partnership in recognition of the significant contribution the event makes to our economy.
"Summernats is held at an ACT Government venue and we have worked with the organisers on things like the City Cruise to expand the reach of the event."
Bennett Wood, who also met with Mr Wall on Friday, said the mums and dads and kids who gathered there with the cars were the same ones who came to see the Braddon cruise.
"I'm an IT professional but there is a perception anyone who is interested in cars is automatically a bad person," he said.
Summernats 31 runs from January 4 to 7 at Exhibition Park in Mitchell.
