Downtown Dirt Bike Din Debated

More than two dozen people gathered in the common room of a 16-story downtown apartment complex and implored their alder to address noisy cars, dirt bikes, and ATVs that race throughout the neighborhood.

They spoke with Dwight Alder Frank Douglass and Sgt. Jonathan Lambe Tuesday afternoon at 100 York St., a 238-unit co-op, during a meeting of Ward 2 neighbors Tuesday. 

Also in attendance were Dwight/West River Community Management Chair Florita Gillespie and Ward 2 Democratic Co-Chair Jane Kinity. 

Charlotte Anastasio, who lives at 100 York, opened the conversation by sharing her concerns with excessive street noise downtown. She stressed that she views kids riding dirt bikes and ATVs as a public safety concern. Despite the community’s best efforts over the last four years, she said, nothing has changed. 

“We need to move away from the police being the main way to handle street noise,” she argued, noting that limited staffing and legal restrictions impede the department’s ability to address unsafe bikers.

Others in the room echoed her concerns and agreed on finding a non-police-oriented solution. Delzora Bush suggested fundraising to build a bike park where people can perform tricks, and post them on social media, without endangering pedestrians. Anastasio mentioned creating community groups of bikers that advocate for children, modeled off programs in other cities such as Tampa’s Bikers Against Child Abuse.

Joe Taylor, who has lived in New Haven for 31 years, was skeptical that those solutions would work. ​“New York City confiscates [bikes] and gets rid of them, so why doesn’t the City of New Haven do that?”

Another person floated the idea of installing plate readers and devices that measure sound, enabling the police department to more easily assess fines to noisy bike riders. Lambe responded that New Haven lacks the staffing and financial resources to implement either of those solutions. 

Lambe also said the department is already focused on engaging with the city’s youth, interacting with between 500 and 700 kids per week. He cited the Police Activity League’s (PAL) free summer camp, a hockey program created in partnership with the New York Rangers, and eight sports teams that are being coached by officers.

One man, who said he grew up in the since-demolished Ashmun Street projects, reminded the room that ​“lots of kids on dirt bikes aren’t criminals” and encouraged the ward to ​“give them some other place to go.” Many attendees clapped in support. 

Douglass echoed the sentiment, saying the ward should focus on ​“inclusion” and arguing against locking up people for being on bikes. 

“We’re victimizing the victims,” said Lydia Bornick, who also lives at 100 York St. ​“I don’t want the kids to think that we as adults think they’re all bad.”

Bob Carlson, another 100 York St. resident, brought a more personal transportation story to the meeting. While riding in his 300-pound motorized wheelchair on Monday, he got trapped in wet concrete on the intersection of York and Crown Streets, near where Yale is currently constructing a new dramatic arts complex. The concrete did not look wet, he emphasized, and there were no signs warning him the concrete was wet. 

He said over six construction workers had to help him out of the concrete, and there’s still concrete on his chair. 

“What would’ve happened if those workers weren’t around?” he asked. 

After the meeting ended, several people approached him and offered their help, with one person suggesting he bring the concern to the Dwight/West River Community Management Team meeting.

Kinity was so impressed by the discussion at Tuesday’s meeting that she suggested hosting something similar in the 100 York St. common room every month. ​“We have to do it as a community,” she said, noting that monthly meetings could help further activate the ward. 

While not discussed at Tuesday’s meeting, earlier in the day, Ward 1 candidate Norah Laughter — who is running against fellow Democrats Elias Theodore and Rhea McTiernan-Huge — announced that she is running on a joint slate with Douglass, who is running unopposed for reelection. 

The press release states that Laughter’s and Douglass’ slate ​“is grounded in priorities that reflect city wide needs based on hundreds of conversations they have had while canvassing with New Haven Rising,” a local labor advocacy group. Some of their shared priorities include ​“affordable housing that is safe,” ​“good union jobs for multigenerational economic security,” ​“quality education and opportunities for New Haven youth,” and ​“a fully funded city with adequate partnership from the state and large employers like Yale.”