A number of people will be exempt if Mansfield City Council passes a bill prohibiting cruising on the Miracle Mile.
Members on Tuesday held to caucus only legislation that would prohibit cruising in a defined designated area.
The designated area would be bound by Home Road on the west, Trimble Road on the east, Park Avenue West on the south and West Fourth Street on the north, the so-called Miracle Mile.
Cruising would be prohibited from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday.
Police would set up a traffic-control point on a street within the designated area during the designated hours for enforcement.
According to the bill, cruising would be defined as driving a motor vehicle on a street past a traffic-control point more than two times in any 2-hour period. The passing of a control point a third time would constitute “unnecessary repetitive” driving and be a violation.
Public responded negatively when first hearing about the proposed bill
Council talked about the proposed bill at its last meeting, setting off a bit of a firestorm.
“When the legislation was first introduced to council, there seemed to be some communication back and forth on social media in regards to enforcement of this ordinance, particularly if residents lived in the area,” said Keith Porch, safety service director. “There is exclusions built into this ordinance.”
Those include police, firefighters, municipal workers, licensed public transportation vehicles or other vehicles being driven for business or commercial purposes, Porch said.
He added that residents in the designated area going to a specific destination would also be exempt.
Council will conduct three more readings to give residents a chance to weigh in and will vote on the bill June 4.
“I’m glad this is being placed in various reads,” Councilman Aurelio Diaz said. “I hear more outrage about this than the (marijuana) dispensaries. Maybe that’ll change in a few months.”
Diaz urged residents to become better informed, through local media or by reading legislation on the city’s website.
Councilman annoyed at people who are uninformed
“It’s real frustrating when people don’t read. They just read the headlines and just go off. They don’t know the facts,” he said. “Nothing is more annoying than people just making up things that aren’t true about this.”
Diaz said council cares about safety and is not looking to take away anyone’s right to have fun.
Councilwoman Stephanie Zader echoed his comments.
“Read the legislation or show up to the meeting, that’s quite the concept,” she said. “When you’re actually informed about things, I think there’s going to be a lot less outrage.”
Councilman El Akuchie said he has heard from residents concerned they would be arrested for going to and from their homes.
If the bill passes in June, the person having control or ownership of the vehicle would be the person considered cruising without regard to whether that person was actually driving the vehicle past the traffic-control point.
First-time violators would be charged with a minor misdemeanor. A second offense within a year of the first would be a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and each subsequent offense within a year of the first would be a third-degree misdemeanor.
Those convicted of a third-degree misdemeanor could receive up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
The Miracle Mile has been a haven for cruisers since the 1950s. What was once innocent fun for teenagers has taken a darker turn.
“What we found last year, the big problem was motorcycles and drag races,” police Chief Jason Bammann previously said.
Last year, Porch described motorcyclists driving more than 100 mph and trying to provoke officers to chase them, along with “blatant street races.”
In July, a 22-year-old Ontario man was killed when his motorcycle struck a pickup truck as the driver was leaving a parking lot. Police estimated the motorcyclist was driving about 65 mph when he struck the truck. The speed limit on Park Avenue West is 35 mph.
People from Cleveland and Columbus flock to Miracle Mile
He said another issue has been an influx of people from Cleveland and Columbus who see promotions on social media and visit Mansfield.
Safety isn’t the only issue. Noise is another.
“This is going on until 3 a.m. The neighborhood is not happy with it,” Councilman David Falquette has previously said.
In September, Porch updated council about activity on the Miracle Mile. He provided a heat map showing police activity on the Miracle Mile from 2021 to late March.
Mansfield police handled 1,929 incidents in that span. There were 181 crashes including two fatalities.
The heat map showed that activity greatly increased from 8 p.m. until midnight Friday and Saturday. There were 191 calls in the 10 p.m. hour on Fridays in the three-year-plus span and 204 such calls in the same time frame on Saturdays.
Those who are among the exemptions will not have to be concerned.
“I think our officers have a lot more important things to do with their time than harassing people driving down the road, so if that’s what you’re worried about, you can rest easy,” Zader said.
mcaudill@gannett.com
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