Woodward Dream Cruise a Nightmare for Some

The Woodward Dream Cruise is expected to attract 1.5 million people to a 16-mile stretch of the historic avenue this Saturday – with the build-up stretching out for days, weeks and months in advance – creating a nightmare of gridlock and noise that has inspired some residents and businesses along the route to voice their disdain on Facebook.

Many of those who take issue with the classic car parade on social media say they soured on the event once it began to affect their qualilty of life beyond just the day of the cruise.

The Cruisers Go Home page created by Pleasant Ridge resident Jeanne Ruzzin, for example, had nearly 200 likes Tuesday and lively conversation.

• Kim Johnson of Royal Oak: "I am over a mile away from Woodward and can hear all the motorcycles – feel bad for those who live closer."
• Michelle McFarland, owner of in Berkley: "I'm also a Woodward Ave. merchant and it's insane. We get in fights every year with cruisers the week of."
• Chris Pullen of Ferndale: "I didn't plan anything so I may have to hole up in my house as if there were a snowstorm or something."

Ruzzin said it's not the Dream Cruise that she and her neighbors along the historic avenue object to, but the fact that cruising seems to start earlier each year and have a greater impact on life along Woodward.

"I was around for the first cruise (in 1995)," she said. "I (lived one block off Woodward in Ferndale). I was all for it; it had a grass-roots feel. When I became against it was when it spread to a week or 2 weeks."

In , 27 percent of respondents said cruising should begin the week before the classic car parade and 27 percent said cruising should only occur that day.

Readers also sounded off Tuesday on the Berkley Patch Facebook page:

• Lori Schoessler-Robertson: "Stock up on groceries and gas early because Friday and Saturday you're basically trapped in your house for the weekend if you live anywhere near Woodward! I wouldn't mind it as much IF the 'cruisers' wouldn't block the intersections on Woodward. We should be able to cross at any light (12 Mile/Catalpa/11 Mile, etc). I always pray I don't have an emergency this weekend because getting to the hospital would be a nightmare."
• Eliana Loomer: ‎"I feel the Dream Cruise wouldn't be so bad if it was only the weekend. However the ENTIRE week before people are clogging up Woodward. I would totally love the cruise if the cruisers were more considerate."

Unfortunately for residents who resent the pre-parade activity, there are no rules that prohibit it.

"People can drive whenever they want," Deputy Director Robert North said. "There's nothing that says you can't drive up and down Woodward Avenue as long as you're obeying the law."

That means no speeding, no squealing of tires, no jaywalking, no setting up lawn chairs in the median and no alcohol outside of designated areas such as bars, restaurants and permitted party zones.

Greg Rassel, the Woodward Dream Cruise representative for Royal Oak, said the organization is not insensitive to what neighbors endure and doesn't do anything to encourage cruising earlier in the week.

"Our goal is to put on a safe, fun, family event and minimize the inconvenience," he said. "We appreciate the patience of those who live near Woodward and put up with the crowds."

"I want people to have fun. I just don't think they have the right to disrupt my life for a week." – Pleasant Ridge resident Jeanne Ruzzin

Ruzzin said the week before the cruise she has had a hard time getting to merchants along Woodward Avenue and her doctor's office and gym have closed early due to pre-cruise traffic and parking congestion.

"I feel like I should be able to go to my gym and grocery shop and that shouldn't be problematic for a week," she said. "I want people to have fun. I just don't think they have the right to disrupt my life for a week."

Even staying home the week before the cruise is a headache, she said, because of cruisers who rumble down side streets and news helicopters that buzz overhead.

Ruzzin, who used to commute from Ferndale to Birmingham for work, said it could take her 45 minutes to get home during the week before the Dream Cruise and the journey was "perilous."

She cited the following safety concerns:

• the sheer volume of traffic.
• drivers who aren't familiar with the area darting across lanes to reach turnarounds.
• spectators sitting too close to the road in lawn chairs and impeding traffic at intersections.
• access to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

Besides her safety concerns, Ruzzin took issue with the event's expense.

The bill for portable toilets, police overtime and labor to erect barricades costs taxpayers in the nine participating communities – Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township and Pontiac – is an estimated $600,000, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Ruzzin said she'd like to see cities along the route pass ordinances that prohibit parking lots from being rented out before Friday.

"Let David bust some chops. Goliath will have his day on Saturday." – Magic Bag owner Jeremy Haberman

The Magic Bag in Ferndale, which holds  to put on its marquee during the event, echoed Ruzzin's sentiments.

Magic Bag owner Jeremy Haberman said that, over the years, the venue has tried a variety of ways to capitalize on the event – including booking Bo Diddley; renting out the space; and offering free movies, rockabilly shows and Beatles tribute concerts – without success.

"We realize that many residents and business owners located near the Dream Cruise are forced to flee the area, so the Magic Bag slogan contest has become a chance for them to have their voices heard," a Magic Bag press release said.

The venue also has poked fun at the Dream Cruise on its Facebook page, drawing the ire of the classic car parade's supporters.

"We’re just trying to have some good, dirty, fun here," read a post Tuesday on The Magic Bag page. "So please don’t take it or yourselves so seriously. We’re trying to speak for the residents and small business owners who are forced to close or relocate for well beyond this supposed one day event.

"Let David bust some chops. Goliath will have his day on Saturday," the post said. "In the meantime, perhaps we can persuade the powers that be to restrict cruisers to one day and/or move the event to Labor Day weekend so that two weekends don’t need to be crippled."

One or two days of cruising would suit Ruzzin just fine.

"Come Friday if you must. Come Saturday, I'll deal with it," she said. "The rest of the time, stay home."