What Can Be Done About Nuisance Bikes?

What Is Happening?

There have been many reports of nuisance bikes in the Ward, such as the behaviour of electric bike riders on & off road in neighbourhoods and motorbikes & quad bikes causing damage to Hapton Moor / Hameldon Hill and Quarry.

The Burnley Express published an article in March about the damage done to the moor by motorbikes and quad bikes, reportedly it will take years for the land to recover.

Hapton Moor / Hameldon

As a hiker, I’ve witnessed the nuisance and antisocial behaviour of some bikers on the moor, as well as the damage the bikes and quad bikes can do to land on Hapton Moor and Hameldon, as well as Burnley Golf Club recently.

Potential solutions:

1. Access – there are only a few main entrances to the moor the bikes will tend to use, so putting bollards, fencing and gates up at access points would do a lot to prevent the bikes from being able to easily access the moor, making alternative access inconvenient, while also still allowing hikers, dog walkers and farmers to access when they wish to.
2. Signage – signage making it very clear that biking is not allowed and encouraging witnesses to call the police
3. Police presence – plain clothes officers regularly visiting the sites and using drones would serve as a deterrent, typically resulting in perpetrators concluding that not visiting the site is better than potentially getting in trouble and having their bike impounded

Another part of the problem is the lack of an adequate legal site for off road motorcyclists to use nearby, the closest major track being Bacup MX track (aka Bacup Quarry), which attracts people from all over the North West, but doesn’t have provisions like PPE hire (helmets, goggles and boots) available and limited bike hire.

It would be nice to see a good track set up in the Burnley Borough, to encourage visitors to the area to spend money here and to enable people who wish to enjoy motorsports to do so, while reducing illegal activity, trespassing, damage to the environment and the nuisance caused to members of the public and residents.

As an off-road biker, I’m aware of the lack of provision locally for the motorsport, as well as the barriers for some in accessing the sport, not only having to buy all the equipment, but also having to network to get a van or trailer to transport the bikes and equipment to a track if they don’t have their own.

The Ribble Valley has the ‘Inch Perfect’ trials bike facility, which has bike hire and instructors available.

If elected, while it is not the easiest thing to achieve, I’d be keen to engage with bikers and interested land owners and entrepreneurs to see if anything can be done on this front.

Engaging with, promoting and supporting the activities of Burnley District Motorcycle Club could also be helpful, as keen motorcyclists networking with other bikers and sharing the law abiding ethos of motorcycling clubs would promote more opportunities for bikers to enjoy their passion together without causing nuisance, such as sharing transport to tracks and organising track days where Club members attend.

Electric Bikes

The police prioritising tackling electric bikes would make a lot of difference, particularly having strong presence in known hotspots, seizing bikes which are illegally modified to exceed the speed limit (15.5mph) and electric bikes which don’t require pedalling, but aren’t road taxed mopeds.

Lancashire County Council has spent millions on a ‘Bikeability’ scheme, so some form of voluntary registration scheme via that and courses offered via retailers and in schools, colleges and bike clubs to promote safe and considerate use would also help.

This is somewhat a national issue, but the above changes in Padiham & Burnley West would be a good start and I not enough is being done to improve things for residents and bikers.