TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Tampa man is fed up with dirt bikers racing down his street.
Kristopher Gallagher lives off Lake Avenue and Taliaferro Avenue and said his home is his sanctuary. But not anymore as of recent.
People have been riding dirt bikes and ATV’s all over his Lake Avenue street.
“They’ve harassed me personally. They’ve harassed other motorists and other bicyclists,” he said. “They’re going up and down the street, riding on the sidewalks, weaving in and out of traffic…driving in the opposing traffic lanes.”
He hears and sees it all and records it on his home surveillance camera.
“They zip by you too closely and yell at you. I’ve been cursed at.”
His neighbors too.
On the surveillance video, you can see one neighbor running into the street to stop the bikers and almost ends up being hit.
Last Thursday, Gallagher said he witnessed a biker hit and killed by a car.
“It looked like a car was trying to make a left turn when it looked like a young man was trying to go around her in the opposing traffic lane, not knowing that she was turning. She clipped him and he lost his life.”
Gallagher has complained to the mayor, county commission, and Tampa police, but said he hasn’t gotten very far.
The Tampa Police Department issued the following statement to News Channel 8:
“The Tampa Police Department has an operational plan in place and since August, we’ve made over 17 arrests.
We continue to work to identify those who are illegally riding ATV/dirt bikes on the streets and need the public’s assistance by identifying riders congregating on the streets or in residential or commercial areas.”
Gallagher said he just wants something done.
“I hear it day in and day out… Hour by hour,” he said.
TPD also pointed out, while they address these complaints, the department does not pursue ATV or dirt bike riders because of safety concerns.