Gangs of youths on scrambler bikes are terrorising both people and wildlife in the Phoenix Park.
That’s according to Aontú Cllr for Castleknock Cllr Ellen Troy, who says,
“It is terrifying to witness these gangs of youths flying around with no care whatsoever about other people or the deer who live in the park. I am so concerned and upset over this and genuinely fear for the safety of people and animals.
Legally, these youths shouldn’t even be there as scramblers are designed for supervised use in controlled environments like private land or designated tracks, not public areas like parks or streets.
Scramblers are clearly not innocuous toys; they are heavy and extremely dangerous if in the wrong hands and looking at the ages of these gangs of youths they are very much the wrong age group. It is illegal for those under 16 to use scramblers and they wouldn’t have a chance of controlling them from turning over as they are incredibly heavy”.
Not only are they a danger to others, they are a danger to themselves.
They also do wheelies at speed on the road, and it is scary when they ride like this and overtake cars. I have experiencing them hurtling past me on the main roads in D15 I drove through the Park.
Management of the local park has done its best to try and stop them coming in, through the use of what is known as ‘kissing gates’ at the entrance to that particular park but these gangs of youths still manage to get in.
They are absolutely shattering the serenity of many local parks in this area. Everybody, young and old alike are at risk, as these scramblers are incredibly heavy and could easily kill a child and severely injure other people.
One lady from Castleknock who was hit by one of these in the City Centre in 2023 died later.
These scramblers are dangerous at any time but there has been an uptake in their use in the run up to Halloween.
The Gardai has new powers to seize them and pursue those who are operating them in inappropriate places, and it is illegal to supply them to anybody under the age of 16.
The Gardai are genuinely doing their best but I firmly believe that parents have a huge role to play in the prevention of this scourge.
I am urging parents and guardians to actively stop their children from using these deadly dangerous scramblers and please don’t buy them as gifts for young people. Please do not buy these deadly vehicles for your children for Christmas, they are not toys.
The Phoenix Park is one of the most stunning amenities we have. Not only is it the envy of people all over Europe that we have such a stunning park in the middle of our capital city, it is a fabulous place for people to walk and meet in.
It has to remain safe and not a racetrack for gangs of youths who are thoughtlessly and selfishly destroying it”
