PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Neighbors in Fairmount are fed up with the rowdy crowd of ATV, dirt bike and motorcycle drivers who ride around Eakins Oval at all hours of the day and night.
Outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art Monday night, several dozen residents — mainly older adults — protested against them, shouting the “Parkway is not a raceway.” They say the riders are reckless and create safety hazards.
“We can’t even cross the street, let alone the noise,” said neighbor Lita Cohen. “We’re talking about people’s lives. And we’re stuck.”
Cohen said she and her neighbors have seen drivers’ brake lights and headlights completely out, races near the Parkway, and riders taking their vehicles onto the sidewalks or museum steps.
“The motorcycles, they’ve redone the mufflers so they roar at 90-, 100-degree decibels,” added Tom Ferrick, who lives nearby. “It’s like living on the side of a landing strip at an airport.”
State Rep. Amen Brown of Philadelphia said the nuisance trend is happening not only in the city but throughout the whole state.
“I get it, that dirt bikes, ATVs are part of Philadelphia’s culture,” said Brown. “But there’s a line being crossed here and we’re really disrespecting business corridors, quiet communities, residential communities. And it’s also a safety hazard for themselves.”
In May, a woman driving an ATV died after a car crashed into her in Northeast Philadelphia. Police said the woman and the group of riders she was with were driving northbound in the southbound lanes of State Road. Her ATV was not registered or street-legal.
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Legislation was passed in Pennsylvania over the summer that made it illegal for people to drive ATVs and dirt bikes on public roadways.
Brown suggests city officials work together to give riders a space to enjoy their hobby.
Until something changes, Fairmount residents want to see more consequences from the city.