An Edinburgh councillor has spoken out after a call to tackle quad bikes in parks and on green spaces was delayed.
Conservative councillor for Morningside Marie-Clair Munro raised an emergency motion to address the “environmental damage, noise pollution and safety risk” from the issue.
But the convener of the relevant committee declined to permit its discussion, instead pushing it back to next month.
Councillor Munro said: “I know many residents share my frustration – this is a serious issue impacting our communities, and it deserves urgent discussion and action.
“Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away. I will continue pushing for real solutions to keep our streets and green spaces safe.”
“It is deeply frustrating that this issue was not deemed urgent by the Convenor, especially given that their party’s representative in the Scottish Parliament, Daniel Johnson MSP, has already raised it at Holyrood.
“If it warrants discussion at a national level, surely it should also be addressed at the local government level, where we have the power to take direct action.”
Within the past month, several instances of young people on quad bikes damaging green spaces and frightening residents have been reported.
At 7.30am on Thursday last week, local residents reported youths on quad bikes tearing up the Meadows and driving at local residents.
And, youth football club Hutchison Vale in Saughton was forced to cancel several matches due to quad bikers making the pitch unplayable.
The motion would have called on a combined effort between Police Scotland, the council and local groups to tackle the issue.
It also would have noted a need to explore legislative changes, improved reporting measures and ‘enhanced penalties’ for offenders.
At the committee meeting, Cllr Munro raised the issue with representatives of Police Scotland who were in attendance to present an annual report, suggesting that drones could be used to track and identify people using quad bikes in public spaces.
The representatives said the police service was considering new measures to tackle the problem.
“This is a step in the right direction, but we need real enforcement to protect our public spaces and ensure those responsible are held to account.
“The lack of sufficient police presence in Edinburgh is only making matters worse, allowing this kind of behaviour to go unchecked.”
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
