Cyclist, 75, calls for action on quad bike and moped youths in Telford
An elderly cyclist is calling on the authorities to slam the brakes on youths in Telford causing havoc on quad bikes and mopeds, after nearly being knocked off her bike.
Susan Bulley, 75, said the culprits taunted her after she got upset, and insists children who play at Rough Park BMX track in Telford could be hurt if they are not stopped.
The pensioner received a fright when she was out for a leisurely ride around the park on Thursday last week.
She said: "I was riding down the Silkin Way cyclepath and these two quad bikes and a moped came right at me at about 40mph.
"I shouted 'idiots' at them, and that was the wrong thing to do. They circled round and rode right up to my face. They followed me to the BMX track and ran rings by me.
"I've seen them there in the past. There were two males and a female. If something doesn't get done someone could get really hurt.
"Children play at that park. They shouldn't be riding quad bikes and mopeds, but they don't care. The police need to stop them."
She added: "I'm alright, but it's made me nervous to go out on my bike now. I normally go a few times a week to ride at the park."
Warning
Sergeant Allan Black from the Safe Neighbourhood Team South said: “Unfortunately, this is a current theme running across south Telford. The quad bikes and off road scrambler types of bike users are causing a lot of anti-social behaviour in places such as Rough Park, which runs through Woodside to Coalbrookdale in Ironbridge.
“My SNT staff have been targeting their use and have recently enjoyed success when officers caught a number offenders and issued Section 59 warning notices, which is a precursor to seizure of the vehicles if found committing similar offences in the future.
“It is suspected that due to the large expanse of local land, people from outside the area are travelling to Rough Park and contributing to the anti-social behaviour.
"The local South Telford SNT police officers and PCSOs are working hard to resolve this issue and have partnered up in a joint council and police led initiative that will include not only SNT staff, but also specialist traffic police units and other tactics to assist in the apprehension of these offenders.
“PCSOs regularly use social media platforms to advertise such success in order to share with members of the public which can in turn produce further intelligence.
“In relation to the log 539s of the 6 June 20149, this will be investigated as part of the ongoing initiative.”
Anyone with information can call police on 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org
