Car Meets: When Love for Cars Rubs Residents the Wrong Way

The Heart of the Matter

Folks in a quiet slice of southeast London are really hoping that this new gate will do the trick and finally put a stop to those super late-night illegal car meets. The plan is to install this gate at the Elmers End Tesco parking lot, which has, unfortunately, turned into some kind of spot for street races and risky stunts.

The people who live around here are glad. Some think that all the car meets will just move to another location. Across London, authorities have been trying to get these noisy car gatherings sorted out, but it has not been easy.

Supermarket Car Park Becomes a Racing Hotspot

Locals mention that they are always hearing cars roaring, tires screeching, and really loud exhaust noises near the Croydon Road Tesco. What kicks off as just people hanging out enjoying cars turns into unlawful races and stunts on the streets.

One of the locals, Sharmone, told us of an event that happened recently:

• I heard this incredibly loud screech. There was a horrible burning smell. It was like 2 a.m., and it was just a total mess – smoke everywhere. The people where taking videos using their phones If you were looking, you wouldn't have thought it was a supermarket parking lot.
• Sharmone also showed BBC a video showing cars drifting way too close to people.

Another neighbor said the noise keeps her family up most Saturday nights:

• I've been living here for 19 years. It was nice and quiet. I feel unsafe at night. The drivers are racing down Croydon Road so fast—It's simply dangerous..

Cops Take Action

The people living near have really been pushing that something should happen. The police worked with Tesco to put up the gate. They will shut down the parking lot at night. They're wanting to get things solved quickly.

A Tesco person said:

We don't like people causing headaches in our parking lots, so we're trying to shut down.

The local council stated they can not take actions because Tesco owns the property. A lot of locals are hoping this new gate will handle everything.

It's a City Wide Situation

This stuff isn’t just going on out in Elmer's End. Car meets are happening at supermarket parking lots, shopping centers, and factory areas all over London. People who have fancy or updated cars show up to do stunts and races, which grabs a pretty big group of people watching.

Police recently seized fancy cars in Westminster worth over £6 million to control illegal street racing. In Enfield, they got some help from the court to prevent car meets after dealing with stuff on the A10 for years.

A police person stated:

This type of issue impacts people's lives. Its not pleasant for them.

Local governments in places like Westminster and Hillingdon started using their power to make car meets illegal in those areas.

Different points of view

• Even though these meets cause problems, a lot of car fans think the way they are treated is unfair.
• Gemma, who loves cars, believes that this crackdown will make problems.
• I show up at car meets with my brother. We enjoy cars. When they shut down one spot, people show up in another location.
• Jamie, 24, shares updates on cars using TikTok, and notes that not all meets involve reckless driving:
• Those that want to race should head down to an actual racetrack. We're showing off our cars and talking about them. It's a fun hobby.

More Need Dedicated Spots

• Philip McGovern, who started Caffeine & Machine believes that people are treating car fans wrong.
• London has a cool car location. People are wrong. We should have spots to hangout safely.
• McGovern said that since there aren’t choices, car fans don’t have the options:
• Car fans used to have spaces to meet, away from folks. We should figure out stuff with having people getting problems—it's a social requirement.

What to do next?

The people in Elmer's End are hoping things will chill out, but the car community in London is solving passion and the locations well being. Authorities take action on driving, but car fans are wanting places to handle feelings.