COLUMBUS, Ohio — They’ve become a yearly nuisance; ATVs and dirt bikes are back on Columbus city streets and they aren’t supposed to be.
Portions of High Street have become magnets for off-road rides. People working downtown said the noise disrupts business and those living there said it wakes them up at all hours of the night.
“We had for a while some short bikes. We called them the 'Grom squad.' Little bikes that would go through here. They would all gather over at Hippie Hut. They would kind of gather there and rev their engines,” said Zach Sinclair.
Sinclair works along High Street. He said starting at around 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on nice days, the riders start gathering.
“Working at a local business, it’s kind of tough. You’ll talk to customers and it’s so loud sometimes,” he said. “I get it, I drive a sports car. It’s kind of nice to get that good-spirited drive every once and while, but when you’re racing stoplight to stoplight, it’s annoying.”
Columbus started cracking down on the issue in 2021. City council members passed legislation that increased penalties for these riders from $150-$250 to $500-$1,000.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said he and the Columbus Division of Police are on the same page when it comes to the riders.
“If you’re caught, there’s not going to be any plea deals. We’re encouraging police to charge you with everything they possibly can charge you. We’re going to seize your vehicle as evidence for the whole duration until you plead guilty or it goes to trial. Then, you’re going to have to pay every single dollar in fines and impound costs,” Klein said.
Not only is it a nuisance and illegal, Klein said it’s also a safety concern.
“We’re taking this seriously because not only does it affect quality of life in our neighborhoods, but it threatens public safety and it’s unsafe for everyone,” he said. “These are folks that have no regard for the law. They have no regard for community norms. On top of that, they’re threatening all of us because you could lose control of those vehicles immediately and injure yourself, kill yourself, or somebody else.”