Police will be hot on the trail

By Melissa Meehan
LOCAL police will target members of the public who are unlawfully riding their trail bikes throughout Casey.
Endeavour Hills Sergeant Terry Lloyd said reports of illegal trail bike incidents are on the rise.
He said that the police and the City of Casey were working together to put measures in place to combat the increasing reports of trail bike riders riding their bikes unlawfully throughout the municipality.
“We will target trail bike riders who are riding without helmets, riding unregistered vehicles on roads and causing damage to greenbelts and reserves,” Sergeant Lloyd said.
“There have been reports of riders almost hitting pedestrians, we are worried about the safety of both riders and pedestrians.”
Police believe that while most incidents reported include teenage riders, there have been incidents when adults are riding these bikes.
Sergeant Lloyd said that although riding trail bikes in reserves is not necessarily against the law, riders are travelling to and from the reserves via main roads, which is illegal.
He said that in the City of Casey by-laws it is an offence to ride on reserves and greenbelts.
“The City of Casey can fine riders for riding on reserves and greenbelts, the EPA can fine them for noise pollution and we can fine them for not wearing a helmet and riding an unregistered vehicle on the road,” Sergeant Lloyd said.
Illegal trail bike incidents have caused trouble in Casey for years but Sergeant Lloyd said that as soon as daylight savings began in late September the number of incidents has increased to an alarming level.
“It has been a problem for years, but in the last few months we have received more complaints than usual,” Sergeant Lloyd said.
Casey councillor Paul Richardson is outraged that some residents are intentionally defying the council and local law authorities by riding freely on roads, parks and reserves.
He said that Casey councillors unanimously supported the Recreational Vehicles Local Law No. 7 at a recent council meeting on 1 November, that would restrict motor bike riders to the use of private tracks around the city of Casey.
“It is a disgrace that we have unlawful unregistered trail bike riding to and fro in our parks and on our roads,” Cr Richardson said.
Cr Richardson said that the new local law originated with the increased purchases of recreational vehicles, the lack of areas to ride the motor vehicles and the number of complaints received from local community members.
“I observed a youth riding a red monkey bike from Sydney Parkinson Reserve, along a walkway to John Fawkner Drive, Endeavour Hills between the hours of 4pm and 6.30pm,” Cr Richardson said.
“A short time after I observed two youths on one motor bike through the walkway to John Fawkner Drive, nearly running over passengers exiting a Grendas bus.”
Cr Richardson said that trail bike riders have been regularly sighted riding illegally without helmets on unregistered bikes throughout Casey.
“I believe it is time these motor cyclists are identified, their bikes confiscated and the riders charged for their unlawful acts,” Cr Richardson said.
Cr Richardson said that the unanimous support of the Recreational Vehicles Local Law No. 7 at the last council meeting makes way for this issue to be brought into the spotlight.
“A suggestion to deal with unauthorised motor bike riders is to establish a bike track in Southern Casey, on a large acreage with a wide buffer and a reasonable distance from residential properties,” Cr Richardson said.
“Hopefully something like this would encourage unlawful riders to act responsibly and ride on a larger track. I will take this suggestion to council for further discussion.”
Both the Endeavour Hills police and Cr Richardson appeal to members of the community to report illegal trail bike incidents to police and/or the council.