South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Noise downtown ‘almost like it’s out of Mad Max’
Delray Beach trying to combat surge in dirt bikes and loud engine revving
DELRAY BEACH — Downtown Delray Beach keeps surging in popularity with dozens of trendy restaurants and bars. But city officials and police are grappling with a pair of growing complaints by Atlantic Avenue: the deafening sound from motorcycles loudly revving their engines and packs of riders speeding through nearby neighborhoods on dirt bikes and ATVs.
That’s left the city looking for ways to combat the issues, but with both cases there aren’t any straightforward solutions.
Over the past few months, Delray Beach has received a “surge in complaints regarding [ATVs], dirt bikes, and four-wheeler traffic in residential neighborhoods,” City Manager Terrence Moore said in an April 1 email to city officials.
Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia said it’s a major concern, especially with “unlicensed, young people riding these motorbikes that are not street legal and going up against traffic, running through stop signs and creating havoc on the roads.”
“They’re going at crazy speeds all over the place and with no regard for anyone’s safety, including their own,” Petrolia said, noting Swinton Avenue has become a common street for riders to speed past. “And it’s just an accident waiting to happen and it’s startling when you’re in the midst of it.”
“It’s almost like it’s out of ‘Mad Max’.” In the April letter to city officials, Moore said Delray Beach Police were making operational adjustments to try and “discourage adverse activities.”
Delray Beach Police spokesman Ted White said they’ve brought in extra personnel “when staffing permits” to patrol the areas with the most complaints to “conduct proactive enforcement and deterrence.” White added they’ve also issued public-service announcements about the dangers of driving these vehicles in the streets.
On May 7, police officers arrested three people, two on dirt bikes and one on an ATV, on reckless driving charges after they were riding on the sidewalk along a busy stretch on Atlantic Avenue, east of Swinton.
But what that doesn’t entail is chasing down people illegally operating these vehicles. The city already had a no-chase policy in effect for offenses like these, but the spotlight on this issue has only grown in the past year.
On Dec. 26, a 13-year-old boy, Stanley Davis III, died in Boynton Beach after fleeing police on his dirt bike and crashing into a curb in the media. The incident sparked national headlines as many in the community protested and demanded the officer be fired.
Moore said that incident looms large, and that Delray Beach officers are being especially cognizant to address the issue in a “safe, responsible fashion.”
“A steady-hand approach is necessary,” Moore said. “A proper bedside manner is appropriate and given the experience in other communities [such as Boynton Beach], we are incorporating as part of our practice to be responsive and attentive accordingly.”
White said the approach has worked so far as the department has seen a decrease in complaints after the surge earlier in the year.
‘It can be a little jolting’
In the downtown area, the loud revving
of motorcycles and cars has been a frequent thorn in the side for people dining outside, walking down the street and for those who live nearby.
Amanda Perna, who operates a boutique in downtown Delray Beach, said she’s heard significantly more “grumblings” from people about the loud revving, noting that those complaints have seemed to increase over the past two years.
“I’ll be out with friends and I’ll hear loud motorcycle sounds and everyone in the restaurants rolls their eyes,” Perna said. “It’s kind of a hard thing, because you want people to enjoy the fresh air and to be out on their bike but the revving of the engine can be a little jolting when you’re sitting outside and enjoying a nice
meal, especially with the nice restaurants we have and a lot of them have outdoor dining.
“We have a kids’ store and so a lot of the moms who are walking with the kids down the street, you see them jump when there’s a loud sound.”
City Commissioner Juli Casale said she hears the same complaints “a lot,” and from a wide range of people.
“I hear it from friends who are dining downtown,” Casale said. “I hear it at the tennis center. I hear it from residents. I hear it from business owners with respect to how it impacts people dining in their establishments, so we hear quite a bit about it.”
Other communities are wrangling with similar issues. Fort Lauderdale has seen a similar rise of motorcycle noise in Las Olas. In May, Mayor Dean Trantalis called for the city to enact stronger measures against
people who violate noise laws.
Finding a solution is a trickier endeavor, though. In 2007, Delray Beach contemplated banning motorcycles on Atlantic Avenue in the downtown area, but the city backed down after receiving pushback from numerous motorcycle enthusiasts.
The city is currently crafting a stricter noise law, but that’s designed to rein in loud bars and restaurants located near residential areas. The new ordinance would rely on setting decibel limits throughout the city. Police officers and code enforcement will then utilize decibel readers to determine whether a business is exceeding the set noise limit.
Moore said the city is looking into the noise problem, but said the main focus right now is focusing on the issue with dirt bikes and ATVs.