Local lawmaker fights back against illegal dirt bikes
Springfield officials work to get illegal dirt bikes off city streets
These dirt bikes, while safe to ride off-road, have caused several incidents and deaths in the community.
Incidents have decreased over the past few years, but as the weather gets warmer, city and state officials are looking to permanently end the issue. The representative says there is often a misconception that illegal dirt bike riders are just kids looking for fun.
'These are grown men, some of them in their 30s and 40s, and they know that they're riding illegally, and they're doing it for no other reason than to break the law,' said Ramos.
As a city councilor, Ramos started a home rule petition, which allows local governments to impose rules within their own jurisdiction regardless of state-level mandates.
This petition sought to allow police officers to destroy illegal dirt bikes after they are confiscated, instead of having to give them back to their former owners or sell them at auction. 'What we're trying to avoid is for these illegal dirt bikes, illegal off-highway vehicles, to end up back on the road,' said Ramos.
While this petition expired due to slight disagreements in implementation on the state level, Ramos is filing in the House again to get this initiative off the ground. Ramos' home rule petition is modeled after one from the early 2000s, which resulted in allowing police to confiscate cars involved in illegal drag racing to make Bay State streets safer.
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