They’re as reliable as November and rain. Or spring and tulips. Or the sockeye in July.
When racing season starts, so do the complaints.
But the Saratoga Speedway and its neighbours may have finally come to a compromise.
The almost 50-year-old family track has never been quiet. But the push-back against car racing in the community has only gotten (ironically) louder and louder.
This has prompted Comox Valley Regional District to take some action to ensure both racers and residents can finally get some peace.
At the board meeting on Tuesday, July 26th, rural directors approved a staff recommendation to tone down the track and give everyone some quiet time.
They agreed on at least a couple full days of silence a week, and made sure to prioritize lazy Sunday mornings and evenings.
The agreed “no race” times will be as follows:
- Mondays and Tuesdays all times
- Wednesdays and Thursdays before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
- Fridays and Saturdays before 11 a.m. and after 9:30 p.m.
- Fridays and Saturdays before 11 a.m. and after 9:30 p.m.
- Sundays before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
The disagreements over the much-loved speedway are like the never-ending story.
The board had originally made a motion to limit racing to only five days a week until 8 p.m. after lots of complaints from the Saratoga Speedway Complex Concerned Citizens group.
They changed their minds after an outpouring of support for the racetrack at the July 12th meeting. The support swayed them to give racers a little more wiggle room to hit the gas.
“This will bring predictability and certainty, and allow one evening a week where residents can enjoy a barbecue with family and friends in the peace and quiet of their backyards,” said Area C director Edwin Grieve.
Hopefully this arrangement will satisfy both groups, and we can stop hearing the racket from both sides.
