Motorbikes -
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"Residents’ fear as dirt bike gang takes over park"
(160 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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Also available in Bingham Park.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I've seen (and videoed) a couple of bikes on NEPN recently. One was a proper "big" road bike which powered past me at quite a clip between 5ways and the red bridge.
Didn't bother to do anything with the footage - if the police can't/won't act on a driver on the phone cutting me up on the road, why waste my time on something so much more minor?
Posted 10 years ago # -
As a rule, there is little point in reporting a bike being driven in an insane manner. I've tried it in the past, and the police response was that it would be too dangerous to pursue the bike, especially as the riders were not wearing helmets. Last one I saw was on the canal towpath, and I let it go.
There was for a while a pair of police riders on dirt bikes whose role was to chase after people riding in parks, but I guess they let that drop.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I got buzzed by a dirt bike carrying two youths on a shared path near Rosewell last summer. Also found a burnt-out motorbike on the Restalrig railway path last summer.
Presumably many of these bikes have been stolen by joyriders?
Posted 10 years ago # -
'Presumably many of these bikes have been stolen by joyriders?'
Almost all of them. Madame IWRATS had her bike transformed into molten plastic and charred metal by the orcs of Moredun once they had used it to plough the local park. Needless to say my preferred policing option for bike thieves is summary execution of the perpetrators followed by recovery of all costs from their families.
Funny how you get to thinking that way when things get close to home.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I mentioned on the wildlife highlights thread that two bikes came up the WoL path lunchtime and back down tea time - either Good Friday or Easter sat.
Path quite narrow and windy, lots of kids. Silly boys but I like to blame the parents myself.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I occassionally spot a scooterist who rides up Gilmore Park, hops off and pushes the idling machine across the lift bridge and then rides the wrong way up Leamington Road. Have a photo from a distance but never managed to get the plate as they seem to hang back at top of Gilmore Park and wait for a quiet gap to perpetrate this act.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I cycled route 75 once from Glasgow east. Annoying as easterly wind but after Uddingston was total wall to wall motorbikes, wee boys in full evil kneivel gear. Petered out about Broxburn.
Posted 10 years ago # -
A surprising number of the commenters on the article seem to be confusing 'dirt bikes' with 'mountain bikes' or BMXs.
Shame that there's so much apparent talent out there, judging by the wheelie skills of the Bingham resident we saw at the weekend. Why don't they enter junior Enduro events and kick out the jams that way?
Posted 10 years ago # -
Back when I were a student, the intra-mural football matches at the Jack Kane Centre were often spiced up by the appearance of motocross bikists scooting across the pitch mid-game. Usually when the ball was up the other end, but not always.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I remember a number of years ago when a local scrote tearing up and down the WoL path on a stolen motorbike, sans helmet, managed to crash into a lamp-post at speed and remove himself from this earthly life.
Evening News wrote the story up and eulogised him with glowing praise and interviews about what an absolute saint he was etc etc. Not a bad word was said about him. Fair made my blood boil, but it's par for the course with the Chipwrapper.
Posted 10 years ago # -
There's 2 "shrines" on the Innocent Path, one near Cairntow (Duddingston Road W) and the other near Magdalene Gardens / ASDA where teens have come off their stolen and/or unregistered bikes in last few years and departed this earth. I think in the latter case there were two on the bike.
I have been driven at when walking up the path to Craigmillar Castle before. Miscreant headed out over the meadow only to run out of petrol and have to start walking the thing home.
Posted 10 years ago # -
There was a shrine around the lamppost he hit, just before you go under the bridge to Victoria Park.
It was there for years, but I don't think it's there any more (been a while since I've been that way).
Had a number of encounters with teens on stolen motorbikes on the paths over the years - it's terrifying when they come at you doing what's likely to be 40+, especially when there's a blind bend and they're unlikely to see the mum & kids hidden around it before they're on top of them.
(On the flip-side, I've met police cars coming along the WoL path at speed too!)
Posted 10 years ago # -
@kaputnik
I was close to adding some text to the 'shrine' you describe at Cairmtow. The gentleman in question stole a motorcycle and rode it into the foliage bordering the cycle path at speed. His decomposing body was found some three days later.
I'd just had an 'engagement' with some youths attempting to steal Madame IWRATS' motorcycle and was ill-disposed to this type of thing.
Posted 10 years ago # -
http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/two-men-hurt-in-west-pilton-motorbike-crash-1-3383836
Of course they may have been riding their own bike, completely lawfully.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"
EdinburghPolice (@EdinburghPolice)
22/04/2014 20:42
Appeal for witnesses after red motorbike and car collided on West Pilton gdns about 5.40pm. Any info ☎️101 on http://fb.me/1nmLWO9"
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Lesley Hinds (@LAHinds)
23/04/2014 08:50
@Motivationprobs Police regularly out in North Edinburgh including helicopter. aware problem of stolen motorcycles and dangerous speeding"
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Motivation (@Motivationprobs)
23/04/2014 10:37
@EdinburghPolice @LAHinds You mean they have the use of a helicopter and yet are still outsmarted by NEDS. Is it an Apache or is it Budgie?"
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Lesley Hinds (@LAHinds)
23/04/2014 11:49
@Motivationprobs @EdinburghPolice they have arrested two only last week"
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EdinburghPolice (@EdinburghPolice)
23/04/2014 12:02
@LAHinds @Motivationprobs7 in the last fortnight.
"
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Dave Robertson (@DaveRobertson8)
23/04/2014 13:37
@EdinburghPolice @LAHinds Are council and Police now classifying certain groups as "Neds" or have I misread that?"
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EdinburghPolice (@EdinburghPolice)
23/04/2014 14:21
@DaveRobertson8 I was refering to 7 arrests made in the last fortnight, however I can understand your interpretation."
Who says police haven't got a sense of humour?!
Posted 10 years ago # -
I think the official designation is NEETs (Not in Education, Employment (n)or Training), n'est ce pas?
Posted 10 years ago # -
Edinburgh Police's usual operator(s) certainly appear(s) to think they have a sense of humour, which has cone off as inappropriate once or twice, according to context.
They also do not condone the use of 'jakeys' as shorthand for shouty inebriants.Posted 10 years ago # -
Do they condone the use of 'drunkards' instead?
Posted 10 years ago # -
"
EdinburghEastPolice (@EdinEastPolice)
23/04/2014 17:21
Police helicopter currently over the area preventing the use of stolen motorbikes."
Not sure that this is actually a proportionate use of expensive resources!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Not sure that this is actually a proportionate use of expensive resources!
Especially considering it has to fly here from Glasgow and then back again.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"
“It wasn’t a stolen bike. It was his bike.
"
http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/motorbike-crash-teen-in-coma-1-3386810
Posted 10 years ago # -
I might be being obtuse, but he's 15... I'm not sure you're allowed to drive on the roads at that age. No matter if it's your bike or not. Perhaps his friend was older?
Posted 10 years ago # -
To ride a moped, learners MUST:
be 16 or over
have a provisional moped licence
complete CBT training.
You can then ride unaccompanied on the public road a two-wheeled vehicle with a maximum design speed of 45 km/h (28 mph), with L plates (in Wales either D plates or L plates, or both, can be used), for up to two years.You MUST first pass the theory test for motorcycles and then the moped practical test to obtain your full moped licence.
It's 17 for a motorcycle up to 125CC.
Posted 10 years ago # -
If the Polis hellhechoppedher was in the area anyway, it may have been useful to give it 2 missions whilst airborne anyway thus saving the Scottish TP some money, and coincidentally solving yet another case, or bringing some scroat to justice before they end up in hospital at further great expense to the NHS Scotland bill. The sooner the new Hunter's Hall Dirt Bike Random Playpark is built the better, as the locals are sorely missing 'trialling' over the 'Giant Concrete Gulliver' that was such a wheeze there! Some talented bikers live out there and the Army or Police should cultivate and train them to be 'despatch riders' and motorcycle cops! Then they get paid to ride well, and be dutiful public servants!
Posted 10 years ago # -
He was riding pillion. Presume there's no age restriction for that?
Posted 10 years ago # -
There is a restriction on riding pillion - your feet have to reach the footrests.
And you can own a vehicle at any age, regardless of your being able to ride it on the road.
This just all sounds like tragic, foolhardy stupidity.
Posted 10 years ago # -
These things happen. Kids have been finding exciting ways to accidentally kill themselves since year dot. It would just be nice if they did it in a way that didn't endanger others.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Posted 10 years ago #
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