Cumberland City Council has pushed for action to be taken in response to dangerous dirt bike riding.
A recent Cumberland Council meeting has seen a matter of urgency be raised in response to dirt bikes being used dangerously along the Duck Creek Corridor.
Councillor Joseph Rahme, who put forward the motion, said he had received multiple complaints from local residents about the “gang of youths on dirt bikes.”
“I receive on average three to five calls [and] Facebook messages from residents on the Duck Creek Corridor… being relentlessly exposed to a group of about four or five [people on dirt bikes],” he said.
“I’ve seen it happen on my street… coming up the street popping a wheelie.”
Voicing his frustration at the lack of action being taken to stop dangerous dirt bike riding in the Local Government Area (LGA), Cr Rahme said his requests regarding the issue had fallen on deaf ears.
“[They] put the lives of every single resident in that vicinity in danger, rip up our amenities, which they did in Glasgow Park only a few weeks ago,” he said.
“I’ve met with the Local Area Command on three occasions, I’ve physically gone to Granville Police Station and they’ve promised me the world and delivered me an atlas… I don’t think they’re understanding how much of a problem this is.”
Referring to a message he recently received, Cr Rahme said locals were getting so “fed up” with trail bikes that one of the residents allegedly came out with a knife and headed right towards one of the bike riders.
“For an elderly resident to resort to a knife for me says one; we’ve got a problem on our hands, and two; we’ve got to the point where it’s unbearable,” he said.
Put to a vote, the motion was supported by majority of the chamber.
With the motion passing, Council will now look to arrange a meeting with the Cumberland Local Area Command and invite residents to express their concerns regarding the dirt bike riders on Duck Creek.
A request will also be made for the Cumberland Local Area Command to review the location of the CCTV cameras in the area.
Cr Rahme believes strategic location of cameras could assist police to tackle the problem by identifying riders.
“I’d like us, as part of that meeting, to talk to the police to see if they want us to move those cameras to a location where we can catch these young criminals, because that’s what they are, just a nuisance to society,” Cr Rahme said
Cumberland Council also plans to investigate the costs of providing the Cumberland Local Area Command with one to two dirt bikes to help patrol the affected areas.
The motion comes after police officers attempted to stop two teenagers who were driving erratically on an unregistered trail bike along Homebush Bay Drive in Auburn late last year.
The 16 and 18-year-old, who allegedly weren’t wearing helmets, failed to stop before colliding with two taxis, resulting in serious injuries and the amputation of part of the older teen’s leg.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.