A spate of reckless motorcycle riding plaguing Kitimat neighborhoods over the past few months has prompted an appeal for public assistance from the Kitimat RCMP as they grapple with the ongoing issue.
Since July police have opened nine files on the matter, detailing a pattern of disregard for public safety by what appears to be the same few off-road dirt bikes. Authorities are particularly concerned about motorists’ and pedestrians’ safety due to the bikers’ dangerous maneuvers and high rates of speed.
Kitimat RCMP Sgt. Rob Gardner said police are accustomed to off-road vehicles sometimes crossing paved surfaces, but these instances warrant special attention.
“We totally understand that we live in a place that has some pretty amazing trails and wilderness — dirt bikes are part of the culture. But these motorcycles are being driven in unsafe manners right in the middle of downtown and other busy areas,” he said.
“Two files that really concern me — one motorbike drove past flaggers at a high rate of speed and against traffic to get across the Haisla Bridge. In another, bikers came off Lower Dyke Road right through the construction zone where there are excavators and dump trucks working — and again across the bridge and toward the industrial park.”
On Aug. 19, an RCMP officer spotted two unlicensed dirt bikes in Strawberry Meadows that matched the description of bikes involved in the previous incident on Haisla Blvd. The officers attempt to pull over the riders was thwarted as the riders sped off in what police described as a hazardous manner.
Most recently, on the evening of October 11, a public complaint was lodged about dirt bikes being recklessly operated throughout town, but police were unable to locate the riders.
Gardner said none of the bikes appear to have have insurance plates, headlights, taillights or speedometers. If caught, the riders could potentially face a variety of charges under either the motor vehicle act, criminal code or the off-road vehicle act — or all three.
“If they injure somebody or damage something, they’ll definitely be charged with dangerous driving —it could be a criminal code. With no licence or insurance the motorcycle can be impounded,” he said, adding the fine for driving without insurance is nearly $600.
“But our biggest concern is public safety. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. So if any member of the public has information about this we’d really like to hear from them.”
Contact Kitimat RCMP at 250-632-7111 or through Northern BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).