CLEVELAND — For a long time, Cleveland residents have been asking for law enforcement and city council to put a stop to ATVs and dirt bikes taking over the city streets.
On Monday night, Cleveland City Council acted.
Council introduced and immediately passed legislation that will increase fines for those riding off-road vehicles in the city of Cleveland, including dirt bikes and ATVs. The fines have been increased from $50 for first offenders and $100 for repeat offenders, to $500 for first offenses and $1,000 for repeated violations.
The new legislation also broadens the rules against operating a vehicle to make “unreasonable noise”, or to “disturb the peace”, or be “detrimental to the life or health of any individual.”
Council also targeted "trick riding" in its legislation. Vehicles will be prohibited from "blocking or impeding an entire intersection for the purpose of…trick riding” as well as “trick or stunt riding or driving of any vehicle upon any part of a sidewalk, street, or other public property of the City.”
Also outlawed by the new legislation by Cleveland City Council will be cars taking over streets doing “donuts” and burning rubber.
The move by council comes just days after Operation "Wheels Down" Cleveland was set in motion by the Cleveland Division of Police, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol to crack down on the increase in illegal off-road vehicles throughout the city.
Saturday's activities led to 15 felony arrests, 30 citations and 15 confiscated vehicles. Two of the vehicles were recovered stolen ATVs.
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