In a desperate attempt to stem the tide of dangerous street takeovers, Cleveland is resorting to a controversial tactic. Using a milling apparatus, road crews are digging ‘tax-funded potholes’ in road surfaces to stop cars from performing risky, high-speed stunts. What’s more, Cleveland isn’t alone in the safety effort. 

Milling machines are creating potholes and divots in public roads to discourage street takeovers, and the internet is losing it

The intersection of Lee and Harvard in Cleveland looks a bit like a chessboard. No, it’s not a street art installation. It’s a textured system of potholes and divots made by a milling machine. Incidentally, the city of Cleveland deliberately created the bumpy road surface. 

That might seem insane. I mean, why would a city want to compromise the surface of its streets? Cleveland, like other cities nationwide, has an issue with street takeovers. Drivers and spectators lock down roads and intersections doing donuts, stunts, and racing. Unfortunately, the events sometimes result in other crimes, injuries, or delays to emergency services. 

A police sergeant in Cleveland said that they “had to come up with alternative ways to reduce or deter this.” I suppose digging up the road surface is one way to “reduce” the problem. However, internet-goers aren’t exactly brimming with support. 

One viewer called the initiative, “tax-funded potholes.” However, some viewers disagreed with the joking assessment. “This isn’t how potholes are created. This keeps Cleveland from being a free-for-all. Like, actual Cleveland. Not your lawnmower town.” Well, that got a bit personal.

Other commenters were concerned that the wear and tear for vehicles isn’t worth it. “So we have to destroy our cars, tires, and alignment because they can’t control their town,” one viewer commented on the News 5 Cleveland post.

It’s not just Cleveland, either. In Louisville, Kentucky, the local government has employed a similar tactic. For instance, a riverside park popular with car groups got the pothole treatment to discourage drivers from doing donuts and driving exuberantly. However, it’s not clear quite how much the initiative has cut down on street takeover activity.