Filler up? Not!
Those annoying, ear-splitting motorcycles blasting through Bronx streets could be running on empty.
That’s if Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. gets his way, pumping up support for a bill he’s drafted that would cut off illegal dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles from Bronx gas stations.
Should a cyclist use a credit card as a way to activate the pump, an attendee could simply de-activate it from the computer screen.
Diaz would have a member of the Bronx City Council delegation officially introduce the bill.
The proposal comes after a summer long attempt by the Diaz administration and Bronx police commander Assistant Chief Carlos Gomez to curb the number of dangerous speedsters cruising through Bronx streets, often seen in Port Morris, Hunts Point and City Island where long thoroughfares serve as a playground for thrillseeking bikers.
“There is a time and place for bikes,” said Diaz. “And that’s on dirt, not the city’s streets.”
Many times, cyclists flaunt their antics on social media sites like YouTube, where channels such as Bronx Life feature large groups of cyclists popping risky wheelies, surrounding cars, and taking over highways.
In some cases, riders completely skirt traffic rules as they blow through red lights on populated streets without helmets or license plates, putting the public on edge while jarring their eardrums from noisy mufflers.
Police have been studying videos to detect any known spots where roadsters are likely to park their vehicles unnoticed.
Diaz penned a letter to NYPD top cop Ray Kelly, demanding officers stage a crackdown on cyclists.
It’s likely the only move the police can make since current NYPD policy forbids officers from chasing cyclists, seeing a greater danger to the public as a result.
Borough cops were successful this past summer with “Operation Flat Tire,” led by Bronx Borough command Inspector Kevin Harrington, seizing 241 motorbikes and ATVs, issuing 192 summonses in the Bronx, an over 60% jump from 2012’s take.
The bill comes days after two cyclists linked to a large mob, menaced a man for miles while driving on the West Side Highway, beating and stabbing him in front of his wife and two-year-old child in Manhattan’s Washington Heights.
“What happened…shows that these incidents are dangerous to bike riders and the public-at-large,” said Diaz. “And we cannot tolerate more New Yorkers, and for that matter more bike riders, to be hurt.”
