‘Car Cruises are good for economy’

THE Times has been contacted by a reader who says organised car ‘cruises’ are good for the local economy.

Dozens of motorists turned up at the Meetinghouse Street car park in Ballymoney on Sunday April 1.

The reader said: “Following the ‘cruise’ held in Ballymoney on Sunday night, I’m sure your newspaper will be full of complaints but does no one realise that this was actually good for the community?

“Modified car drivers have spent a lot of time, money and effort on their vehicles and as with anything that you’re proud of you want to show it off, that’s why events like this are held throughout the country.

“Cruise culture is not young boy racers causing mayhem. These styles of events are enjoyed by all ages and people from all religious backgrounds participate.

“I believe this was proved when the police had to close the road leading to the car park because of the amount of vehicles that arrived to participate.

“There are many car enthusiasts in the town and this event brought a lot of visitors to the Ballymoney area. I’m sure local businesses were happy to see a large number of visitors in the area during these hard financial times. In my opinion this event was a success and credit is due to those who took the time to organise it.”