Parkway is not a drag way

The police at Area E-5 have a message for the large groups of car-racing aficionados who are using the streets of West Roxbury and Roslindale for their unlawful contests: drag racing will no longer be tolerated.

The message, according to a police official familiar with the operation, was delivered recently at the Gas Emporium on Washington Street in Roslindale where the racers, who belong to car clubs and come from as far as Chelsea and Brockton, typically gather before holding their events.

In addition to police, representatives from Boston’s Inspectional Services Department and Environmental Health were also present. The police hoped that by asking the Gas Emporium, which is open 24 hours a day, to prevent the racers from loitering in their lot, the racing would then cease in Rozzie. Following a Friday night visit by law enforcement to the Emporium, officers determined that the Emporium is zoned to only be open until 12 a.m. It will now close when the clock strikes midnight and there will be no trespassing signs posted.

There is no legal place to drag race in Massachusetts, and officers are also prepared to write citations for offenses such as excessive noise from a muffler or a radio, excessive speed and driving to endanger. The cars used in drag races could also be confiscated. And while those in the racing clubs are not suspected of being involved in any serious crimes, officers speculated that they may be responsible for some of the hit-and-runs in the vicinity of where they race.

According to police, between 30 and 100 cars have been congregating nightly between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. at the Emporium, which also has a car wash and convenience store.

Once the cars are assembled, a lookout car is sent to the intersection of Washington Street and Archdale Road, and the cars race each other, on both sides of the street, from the Emporium to the Archdale housing development. They are also known to race from Archdale Road to Roslindale Square.

The lookout car is responsible for alerting the racers if any other vehicles are heading down the street toward the cars that can reach speeds of 75 miles per hour. The speed limit on Washington Street is 30 miles per hour, and police estimate that close to 5,000 residents live in the area that the racers have made into a racetrack. The lookout will also send text messages to the racers if a police car is spotted, which enables the racers to leave the area without having to face law enforcement.

Last year, the hot spot for drag racing was American Legion Highway, but this year, in addition to racing on Washington Street, the drivers, who are known as “lowriders,” have moved to the VFW Parkway, where they race from the West Roxbury Parkway to Corey Street. The gas station at the intersection of Corey Street and the VFW Parkway also serves as a meeting stop, but that station, according to police, is not open at night.

Thus far, no serious injuries or accidents have been reported, but police are concerned that an accident is inevitable. The racers, according to officers, are risking not only their own lives, but the lives of innocent pedestrians and bystanders. And on the VFW Parkway, police fear that someone may hit one of the high curbs, become airborne, and land either in someone’s living room or strike a tree.

For the areas along the VFW Parkway that touch other jurisdictions such as Brookline, a strike force is expected to be implemented. That unit will involve collaboration between the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police and the Brookline Police Department.

Jessica Smith can be reached at jsmith@cnc.com.