Sir, – The first time it happened was in August, on a hot summer day, in Fairview Park in Dublin. Children, teenagers, adults and families were spread out across the green open space. A young boy on a scrambler bike, drove at speed across the park, weaving between the crowds. The second time was in September. I crossed Ballybough Road with the reassurance of a green pedestrian light. A young man on a scrambler bike roared past me breaking the lights while doing a wheelie. The third time was in October while walking through a park in Ballyfermot. A male teenager on a scrambler careered past me on the narrow footpath.
On all three occasions I did the same thing – I called the Garda. On all three occasions I received the same response: “There is nothing we can do. We cannot pursue them.”
It is not the Garda response which is to blame. Pursuing a high-speed vehicle in a public area poses risk to the individual, the Garda, and to the wider public. There are bigger social, political, and legislative questions which need to be answered. It is three years now since this newspaper reported on the life-changing brain injuries suffered by a man hit by a scrambler while sunbathing in Darndale Park.This is a public safety issue that can wait no longer. – Yours, etc,
ANDREA BOWE,
Ballybough, Dublin 3.