Dirt Bikers: We Need A Safe Space For Our Sport
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Neighbors and dirt bike enthusiasts agreed at a meeting in Harlem on Tuesday night that the bikers need a space where they can ride safely.
As 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported, many dirt bikers now ride down city streets, despite the fact that it is illegal to do so. Particularly in parts of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, dirt bikers are often seen riding down streets and doing pop-a-wheelies, or even riding on the sidewalk.
Dirt bike riders in Harlem would like their own bike park, and neighbors and elected officials would like them to have one.
Dirt Bikers: We Need A Safe Space For Our Sport
They discussed the issue at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Center on 135th Street.
Iesha Sekou of Street Corner Resources said the illegal riding on city streets is a public safety problem that needs a solution "to make it so that young people can ride safely, and we don't have officers who are frustrated."
Longtime riders such as Benmore Charles, who founded the group Bikelife, said it is a growing sport that many young people are passionate about, and they want a place to do it safely.
"We're talking about kids trying to stay out of trouble," Charles said. "We're talking about old people and young people getting together and talking again. We're talking about a real issue in Harlem."
The issue now is convincing the city and sponsors to help find the right space, build it, and make sure it is insured.
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