By Tate Papworth
Sunshine residents say they have been forced off peaceful waterside walking paths by dirt bike riders who are tearing up the tracks.
Residents say the riders are speeding around Kororoit Creek, making it unsafe for them to walk the paths.
Sunshine local Greg Dixon says it’s a daily problem.
“They start at about nine in the morning – you can almost set your clock to it,” he said. “There isn’t an hour that goes by where you don’t hear them going through the paved and off-road areas of Kororoit Creek up until seven at night.
“There’s potentially a lot of danger – these guys are flying through,” he said.
“It’s just too dangerous to walk your dog or take your children there.”
Mr Dixon said the problem had escalated since police presence decreased.
“I’ve lived out here for about seven years and it’s got noticeably worse in the past few years.
“There used to be a police presence in the park, but that’s since been pulled and the problem’s got worse.”
Mr Dixon said the bike noise was a constant, but he had also heard a number of altercations between riders are residents.
“I’ve personally had three significant confrontations where guys [riders] have gotten too close, but I hear one every few weeks,” he said.
“I’ve actually had to call the police twice due to an altercation, but nothing really gets done.”
Earlier this year, Brimbank council introduced Victorian-first hoon laws which give the council the power to impound and destroy bikes engaging in dangerous driving.
However, Mr Dixon said the laws hadn’t deterred the riders.
“Nobody really knows about these hoon laws,” he said.
“If the council maybe put up some signage, it could act as a deterrent, but otherwise they haven’t done much.”
He said a return of police presence would quell the problem.
“Appropriate landscaping by the council would close off these tracks, but the No.1 thing we need is a return of patrols.”
