Dirt bikers raise ire of residents

"It's a dangerous situation riding around without helmets."

Waitara's Sergeant Phil Quinn

Residents plagued by dirt bikes speeding along a Taranaki town’s streets are becoming increasingly worried someone is going to get seriously hurt or killed.

Riders on the noisy bikes have been seen speeding along residential streets in Waitara at all hours of the day and night, without helmets or other safety gear.

While not a new practice, some residents say the problem is the worst it’s been in years and it’s putting lives at risk.

Waitara couple Estelle Low and Mark Priest, who live on Gold St, are only too aware of the dangers after their beloved pet cat Arya was struck and killed by a dirt bike rider on Sunday February 4.

The rider involved, whose identity is unknown, did not stop afterwards.

They have lived at their property for about four years but they said frequency of the dirt bikes riding around their area has been off the charts in recent times.

‘‘They treat Gold and King streets like a race track.,’’ Low said.

‘‘They’re so fast, they overtake so dangerously and they fly off,’’ she said.

The couple would like to see a stop to the practice ‘‘before something more serious happens’’. Young children often play around the same area where their cat was killed, Priest said.

‘‘People say it’s just harmless fun but it’s no longer fun when their actions are directly, or indirectly hurting people,’’ she said.

Another Waitara resident calling for action was Greg Dowle.

‘‘I would like to see it stopped and clamped down on,’’ the Hume St resident said.

He had identified about eight different riders and the problem had persisted in his neighbourhood for months.

‘‘I have been plagued by these kids and have almost hit one when I pulled out of my driveway,’’ he said.

‘‘Most of them are fairly lax about safety gear - no helmet or gloves.’’

Dowle said he had called police multiple times about his concerns.

‘‘There’s really nothing being done to stop these people and people are going to be killed very soon,’’ he said.

Sergeant Phil Quinn, of Waitara, said he was aware of the issue.

‘‘It’s not a new concern. It’s an ongoing concern,’’ he said.

He said the dirt bikes are not registered to be out on the road and he knew some of the riders were not wearing the appropriate safety gear.

‘‘It’s a dangerous situation riding around without helmets.’’

Quinn encouraged people to contact the police and said officers would do their best to respond.

However, he said one of the things police wanted to avoid was the risk of becoming involved in pursuits involving the bike riders and the potential dangers this created.

Waitara community board member Trevor Dodunski said while safety was the primary issue he felt it was important not to crack down too harshly on the riders and risk alienating them.

What he wanted to see was a community track made available for them to use and he had raised this idea with fellow board members in the past.

He said he welcomed any support from the wider township to help get some traction on the issue.