Garda plan needed to deal with scrambling bikes at Christmas

25 December 2015

by Cllr Joe Costello

One young motorcyclist died in Ballyfermot in the early hours of Christmas morning and another was hospitalised when their bikes collided. Similarly in Sean McDermott Street area another motorcycle crash has left a young man hospitalised with serious injuries.

 

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning have become occasions for young people with scrambling bikes to take to the streets in the Inner City. They perform stunts and race each other. Many of these bikes are illegal. They are neither taxed nor insured. Their drivers seldom wear helmets. No year goes by without injuries. Most years there are deaths.

 

It is time the Gardaí realised that this is an annual occurrence, that it poses a threat to life and limb not just of the people involved but also to the community in which these dangerous practices take place. A policing plan must be put in place to put a stop to these dangerous practices once and for all and to ensure that Christmas is a safe and peaceful time.