Royal Oak Turns Volume Down on Woodward Dream Cruise

ROYAL OAK, MI — The 22nd annual Woodward Dream Cruise is expected to draw than 40,000 classic muscle cars and custom autos to Royal Oak this weekend, and while the show can bring in a lot of potential revenue, the rumble of thousands of engines cruising through the community isn’t always welcome.

Last month, the Royal Oak City Commission approved an ordinance to allow police officers to ticket excessive noise makers, specifically when it comes from the engines of high-octane muscle cars or motorcycles.

Violators of the new ordinance may incur a fine of up to $100 if their vehicles emit music, vibrations or any noise that can be heard from 50 feet away or more.

The city’s downtown areas are especially popular during the summer months, as vehicles such as motorcycles and sports cars come through for festivals and events.

“We have motorcycles around town that have after-market work on them and you can hear it a mile away,” Commissioner Jeremy Mahrle sold The Daily Tribune.

The ordinance may be especially difficult to enforce during the Dream Cruise itself, Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue said. But he didn’t rule out that officers might issue such tickets on days leading up to or following the Dream Cruise.

Still, residents shouldn’t expect officers standing by with ticket books in hand.

“I would expect officers will act appropriately — they really have more on their minds than writing tickets,” O’Donohue said. “But the whole point of this is to eliminate loud obnoxious noise — be it from an exhaust or music.”

The ordinance has met with mixed review among residents and visitors to the area.

Paul Thompson, of Washington Township, enjoys having lunch outdoors when the weather is nice and sees the merits of having a noise ordinance.

“I want to sit here and enjoy my lunch and conversation. That can be pretty hard if someone is blasting music or revving their engine a few feet away,” Thompson said.

Eagle Riders president Jim Ogden said he suspects some businesses might have encouraged passage of the noise ordinance.

“I don’t know anyone who has been ticketed yet, but it seems someone — city officials or the police — want to deter bikers from the streets of Royal Oak,” Ogden said. “If that’s their goal, we can always ride somewhere else.”

The Woodward Dream Cruise started as a small fundraiser to raise money for a soccer field in Ferndale, and has become one of the world’s largest one-day automotive event, drawing 1.5 million people classic cars each year from countries New Zealand, Japan and Eastern Europe.

Image: Autoweek USA via Flickr / Creative Commons