Following an article in Rye News in May, a lot of comments have been published about bikers (in general, but in particular on Rye’s Strand Quay), and some complaints have clearly been made as the letter below from the Environment Agency shows, and it is therefore on the agenda for Rye Town Council’s meeting next Monday – which is online, and not in the town hall.
Dear Mr Farhall
I am writing to ask for your views on the use of Environment Agency (EA) land at Strand Quay in the centre of Rye.
At the EA we have a desire to see this land utilised to the benefit of the local community. As representatives of that community we would very much value your views on a particular ongoing issue regarding the use of the Quay by visiting motorcyclists looking for somewhere to park their (in many cases expensive) vehicles.
Hitherto we have allowed freedom of access to Strand Quay and free occupation by pedestrians and, by virtue of the nature of the barriers in place, to motorcycles as well.
Unfortunately we have received a number of complaints over recent years (albeit from a limited number of residents) regarding antisocial behaviour by what we understand to be a small minority of the motorcyclists. The complaints have increased in number this year.
The complainants have asked that we either maintain an active presence at the site to ensure use is appropriate, or that we restrict access so that all vehicles including motorcycles would require our permission to gain access.
We have neither the power nor the resources to undertake the former of the two requests which leaves us considering restrictions of access.
We are sympathetic to the view that anti-social behaviour by some motorcyclists has an impact on the quality of life of residents in the area. The behaviour of the motorcyclists is, however, not something over which we can exercise any form of regulation and is a police matter whilst on the public highway.
Other factors that have been brought to our attention are that these visitors bring a significant income to the town and that parking in the town centre facilitates this.
Additionally there is the concern that if displaced from the Quay the motorcyclists may choose to park in even less appropriate locations. This in turn leading to greater risks to the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves, residents and other visitors to the town.
As representatives of the local community we would appreciate a view, one way or the other, as to whether you (the town council) are in favour of us restricting access to Strand Quay to motorcycles as well as to other vehicles.
If we undertake work to restrict the access then we will look to maintain, if at all possible, access for wheelchairs and pushchairs as we recognise the value of this location to residents and visitors to the town alike.
However it may well be the case that the freedom which is currently enjoyed in regard to open access may be somewhat curtailed.
We are checking the legal position but as far as we are aware currently there is no right of way and no right of access in regard to this piece of land.
Our involvement in this issue will be limited to whether or not we restrict access to the Strand Quay site, but we recognise the issue as part of a larger one related to the management of traffic and order in the town.
I would be grateful if you could express a view on the above and any other factors that should be considered before August 28 to allow us to come to a resolution as soon as possible,
Alan Cansdale
Area Environment Manager for Kent, South London and East Sussex
at the Environment Agency.
But, as the letter will focus the debate on access for the motorcyclists to the Environment Agency land, older councillors may point out that “bikers” have been coming to Rye since the 60s, and they used to park on pavements and anywhere they could find before they had access to Strand Quay.
Image Credits: Heidi Foster .
Perhaps the motorcyclists could be charged to park there? Pay and Display? Or some other enforceable charge.
Pay and display is ok if you have a car as the ticket is inside the vehicle. Motorbikes don’t.
I don’t mind the bikes and most of the guys and girls are well behaved. It’s the noise for the residents in that area. There is an argument that they knew what they were in for when they moved there but many people don’t know the detrimental health affects until they are in the midst of constant noise for long periods.
Some residents were born in Rye and have lived in Rye all their lives. They didn’t move to Rye with the knowledge that these bikes would gather at the strand every weekend. They deserve the right to have their home town kept safe, clean and free of the noise and inconvenience the huge gatherings bring.
I live in a flat overlooking the motorbikes – I knew the situation before I bought this flat and frankly have no problem with them.
For heaven’s sake, why is this so hard to deal with. If someone visits Rye by car they have to pay to park. If someone comes to Rye by train they have to pay a rail fare. If someone comes by bus they have to pay a bus fare. All of those people are highly likely coming to enjoy the historic centre and they contribute to the economy even if they only buy a coffee and a keepsake. So why on earth are bikers given the privilege of riding through Rye at speed, creating noise pollution and destroying the tranquility for so many, and get to park for free ? The bikers do not come to Rye. We are simply on their racetrack route. Who we are, and what we are as a town, is irrelevant to them. Why are they allowed a ‘free ride’ ?
Bikers congregate in Rye because its a beautiful town and a good rideout for most, NOT because the carpark is free!! You say the people who come to Rye by public transport have to pay to get there, well … a bike isn’t cheap to tax, insure, service and run so I feel your argument against this is totally irrelevant. If this is stopped then us bikers will only find somewhere else to go and take our revenue to another town! Most bikers do a lot of charity work so can’t you just give them a break and a great place to meet up?
I for one am not on a racetrack and it is impossible to go at speed through Rye. I will however grant that some make a noise, but noise is not speed! it is a nuisance but it is in the minority and there a huge number of cars who drive dangerously and make huge amounts of noise but people jump to the conclusions its just the bikes! I have sent thousands of pounds in Rye and the area around it and so have others. We are not for the majority racing anywhere indeed I go well below the speed limit I like to see where I am. Those who break the law then punish them NONE of us have a problem with that indeed we have the same views, We come to your town to enjoy it and socialise and spend out money in you shops and cafes. Does any one speak out about the cars who park along the strand and restrict the road all of the time? Or the cars which break the speed limits and use the road as a racetrack between the marsh and rye, if your going to have a view then you need to look at all roadusers not just bikes and those on the strand quay are for the most not making any noise or disturbing any one, people are making a judgement on something they dont like personally not because there is anything wrong with it..
I agree 100% With Steve Clark!
As usual, one or two complaints out of how many residents? I’ve been on the receiving end of that and it’s a very unfair situation. That’s not to say that I don’t think there are issues, but the vast majority of bikers, my wife and I included, ride sensibly within the law and are considerate to others. As usual, it is only a small minority with very loud bikes and less than desirable attitudes causing a problem. I would be happy to pay a small parking charge if it was imposed, but that will not discourage the bad element. The cafe is a popular stop for bikers travelling the south coast, but also the town is a pleasant walk with the visitors providing a good income for the town.
I come to Rye on my bike because I think it’s a beautiful town. I do not use it as a race track or ride though. We are not all the same, so don’t assume we are. I stop for a walk around to have a drink and something to eat in the local cafes, to have a meal. I visit for a reason like car drivers do. If I had to pay I would as you now pay in Hastings, I take a pic of the ticket along with my bike, so it can be done.
Last time I wrote a article on the bikes in rye it was not allowed to be published because I was telling a story of when I lived in rye that it was not a very nice place to live come evenings… so if your about to tell the truth about rye it won’t be posted anyway…
Move them from there they will only go somewhere else maybe to a more residential part of rye also the bad behaviour is done by a minority if you was to check the average age of the majority of bikers you would find most are in their 40s and 50s ive even seen a few clergymen amongst them can rye businesses afford to lose the custom in these difficult times or are local residents prepared to see boarded up shops like in many other towns nowdays ,which in turn leads to other anti social issues .
I was very interested to read the letter from the EA with regards to the ‘free’ parking for motorcycles in Strand Quay in Rye. I am not a resident of Rye I live in West Malling and I am one one of the many motorcyclists (now a slowly maturing 62 year old!) that traditionally incorporate a visit to Rye into a tour around the beautiful Kent and East Sussex countryside. This is something that I have been doing since I have lived in this area from 1997 and before that from further afield dating right back to the sixties when I came to visit and stay in the Rye area from London in the back of my parents Cortina.
I also visit Rye and the surrounding area by car and as a recently as last weekend brought ten people from my extended family down there for the day.
With regards to antisocial behaviour motorcyclists are no different from the rest of society and in fact mirror society because we are no different apart from the fact we sometimes ride a motorcycle. Antisocial behaviour takes many forms including wilful littering, illegal parking, noise, drunkenness, dangerous driving etc. and is not just restricted to visiting motorcyclists and is fortunately only caused by a minority. In motorcyclists case they are more obviously visible. Restricting access to parking at Strand Quay will only move the ‘problem’ elsewhere with motorcyclists parking anywhere they can in order to continue visiting Rye. I very much appreciate the availability of the parking area there and the EA turning a blind eye to it but I would not object to having to pay but enforcing it would be another issue. Perhaps it could be a voluntary contribution with the funds going to a local charity on a rotational basis?
Why should you have free parking when car owners do not ? And a lot of people commenting are not anti-bikers. They are anti the excessive noise pollution and speeding. If you and your friends consider yourself responsible bikers, then perhaps the ball is in your court to start speaking to those who destroy the non-existent tranquility of our weekends. You must get to notice who treats Rye as a racetrack and who has fitted extra noisy exhausts. Get the word around that people are not happy in Rye and many surrounding areas. Be proactive and get the public on your side by taking action against those who prefer to be antisocial.
The major issue with antisocial behaviour at Strand Quay is bikers revving their bikes in the car park ( apparently showing off their vehicles to other bikers) and also leaving the site at speed, with excessive noise. The buildings opposite Strand Quay are primarily sheltered housing for seniors, and as I have a 93 year old aunt in that building overlooking the car park, I know how disruptive this behaviour is to her peace. No one should have to put up with it. I should also add that when the car park is full bikers think nothing of parking up on the pavements around the old people’s flats making life even more difficult.
The issues of bikes speeding, dangerous driving and excessive noise on the roads are very real; I myself was involved in a fatal crash with a biker not far from the town; but these are not related to the parking situation. Even without free parking the town will still attract bikers and a section (sadly not the minority as often claimed) will speed and create noise. None of this precludes the fact that bikers are almost always lovely people and that other road users also behave badly, but it IS a particular problem in the biking community, more do than with cars.
Management of the car park, a system for reporting noise/ abuse at the car park and better policing of our roads will go a long way to solving both problems.
I think the solution here should be to publicise the consultation on the strand quay so bikers and residents can both get involved, then hold a “virtual town hall” forum where people can actively share opinions and ideas. I’d imagine the majority of bikers would be horrified at the thought of losing their amenity due to the actions of a minority, and I’d also imagine the majority of residents are also only wanting minor changes.
Of course its the minority, that spoils it for the majority, as we have seen with the Yobs in this town,who spoilt it for so many a few years back, moving these bikers on will not solve this problem,and everyone is allowed to go where they like in this country, we haven’t gone down Venezuela way yet thank goodness, and then we would have something to moan about.
Every weekend the noise that really gets too you and another thing is the speed they race over Udimore road inside the town limits.
30 miles is allowed but most of them go as fast as they can and the noise is so loud.
In the weekends it starts at 7 am till 11 pm
And this is every weekend.
This road should be a 20 mile zone and speed camera,s
Couldn’t agree more. This is not about being anti-bikers at all. It’s about the excessive noise pollution and the breaking of the speed limit.
You will probably find that even if the EA site was closed to bikes then the antisocial behaviour would not change… The ones doing it would still be passing through and the revenue from the ones parking up and buying coffees, fish and chips etc would be lost.
On the continent motorcyclists are positively encouraged and you will find pavement parking is universally acceptable. So well done Rye and the EA for going the extra mile and continuing with this long established meeting place, A great enhancement to local business and attractions.
I like thee buzz of life & energy
they bring.
I don’t suppose the local cafe’s and take aways are complaining. If the bikes are speeding the police have every right to stop them. A couple of weeks ago 32 vehicles were stopped for speeding ..30 cars and 2 bikes..please remember that. I was recently at the Strand vehicle park on my motorcycle.It was busy but not jammed. riders were coming and going .Members of the public/visitors + children who hadn’t arrived by m/cycle were happily veiwing the bikes and chatting away to riders, the atmosphere was good.
Please don’t spoil this for the majority of responsible bikers just because of the actions of a very small minority. The majority of bikers are understanding, law abiding people.
Gary Cudden, a well thought ot out comment. I have been in touch with Ryr Council on behalf of motorcyclists and await follow-up.
As usual, a few spoil it for everyone, but in today’s climate, I would hope that any council would avoid making decisions that restrict much needed income for their local hospitality providers. Richi Sunak’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme shows that even the Government are concerned about such businesses failing. As to the pathetic tagline on that photo ‘Bikers at Strand Quay with little sign of any social distancing’, with the exception of the couple of lads in the foreground, it looks like everybody is observing the rules, and who’s to say those lads aren’t from the same household? Stop making bikers an easy target, and consider how to help your local economy, not damage it
As a seaside town, Rye will be both a destination or a stop off for vehicles of all description. I am sure that the shop owners who benefit from the tourist trade don’t care whether their income is generated from cyclists, motorcyclists, or car drivers. As a general rule, we bikers are a friendly, if maybe slightly intimidating bunch, and will often chat with families and other users of the quay. What the residents should remember is that most of the bikers have friends and families and if we are made to feel unwelcome we will go elsewhere full stop. I would have thought that in the current climate with high street outlets disappearing on a daily basis, Rye would be welcoming anyone who wants to spend their pennies with open arms.
The vast majority of motorcyclists ( as opposed to bikers) are middle aged to older and are not intimidating but really nice considerate people, Often with responsible jobs, who just happen to ride motorcycles, They would like to be able to continue being able to park here and spend thier much needed money in the shops and cafes, if noise after a certain time is an issue then maybe lock a barrier across at a certain time like they do in some rural car parks. As to the noise and speed issue Rye is situated on the main coastal route so it’s still going to be noisy there with or without motorcycle parking as some people speed through on their way to the coast on four wheels or two. On another note its better for the environment to encourage people to visit Rye on motorcycles because Imagine the chaos and pollution if all the people who would’ve come by motorcycles turned up in thier cars.
At least cars have to pay to park here. The bikers get to park for free. Why ?
Motorcycle parking is generally free everywhere. Because they pollute less than cars and take up less room. You sound a bit spiteful and vindictive. Stop hanging on this small point and see the bigger picture.
You seem to have a fixation/obsession about bikers not having to pay for parking – have you been on the receiving end of a penalty notice or two?
The space being discussed is too small to be used for parking by any appreciable number of cars but it can accommodate several bikes and so attracts many more customers than cars for local businesses.
Given the choice between the weekend bikers and the local boy racers who tear around the town on their noisy buzz bombs and open exhaust cars I know who gets my vote. There’s been a lot of sense talked about the bikers and looking for a compromise.
There is more noise from all the through traffic than from the bikes but as usual bikers are the soft target.
We have been coming to Rye Quay for many years on our Harley Davidson, we a are mature, professional couple who ride and explore the environment in an appropriate and safe manner. We enjoy the ride to Rye and the parking facilities the quay enables, also the opportunity to meet up with other bikers who in the main are a very friendly and responsible group. I have never experienced any inappropriate behaviour by other bikers whilst at the Quay? Furthermore we always spend money on refreshments in the various establishments in the surrounding streets, which collectively must bring significant income to Rye, bikers are renound for their love of a ride and bite to eat. In my opinion it would be a travesty should the ability to park bikes at the Quay be withdrawn, and a loss if valuable income to local traders who depend on this type of trade? Surely people who bought a property close to the quay would have been aware of the level of traffic and footfall, it’s a very busy main coast road? I can’t understand what they are hoping to achieve, and wonder what their next proposal will be?
It’s a lovely place to go to and I would hope that you would not take so much revenue from your lovely town and traders by banning or trying to charge for motorcycles. Brighton traders are suffering terribly by excluding people from being able to park or overcharging them. People will only go elsewhere to enjoy themselves and spend their hard earned cash.
Money doesn’t grow on trees, ask your traders. I suppose you could always ban the bikes but how are the local traders going to pay their bills, taxes etc without money?
I ride my motorcycle into Rye nearly every day as my business is there. I live on the A259 at ickleshamand that gets bad, most cars do not do 30. There are far more noisy/fast cars than motorcycles. But you do tend to notice the bikes more as the number goes up at the weekend. As to anti social behaviour, I wont drink in Rye after 9 as some of the muppets that live there just seem to cause trouble. Every group has its idiots with no respect for others.
I can’t believe people today, firstly if you stop the bikers or even charge for parking, they will just move on. Taking there money elsewhere, the cafes will shut and you will end up with a ghost town. I live in Margate and we have a minority of idiots who come down to our beaches and cause trouble. So what do we do, ban people apart from locals on the beach, no because that would be stupid, cutting off our economy because of a minority is suicide especially in this current climate. I visit Rye on my bike a couple of times a month and stop for a bite. I have only witnessed a motorcyclist being antisocial a couple of times,I have however often seen and heard sports cars driving like idiots around the roundabout, so are you going to ban cars?
The reality is the vast majority of businesses do not benefit from the bikers, one cafe and a fish and chip shop do well but the High Street gets nothing at all. We bought a house in Rye opposite the Strand with no knowledge at all, estate agents clearly don’t consider it a selling point. In the three years we have been here, the noise pollution has got much worse, many now ride in groups of five or ten, multiplying the noise. Although we are within sight of the Kettle O Fish roundabout, by the time they pass our front door, few are travelling at less than 50mph and we can hear the bikes for miles before they arrive. The town derives no benefit whatsoever and the sooner the EA close the steel doors the better, I cannot imagine what the residents of Strand Court suffer.
People need to realise that many of the towns businesses rely on the income from the so called bikers (a tag because you own a motorcycle). Motorcyclists from all walks of life visit Rye throughout the year so when the summer months have gone along with the visitors there is still some income from these riders. A minority speed, maybe, some have slightly noisier pipes but then if car drivers were more attention aware when driving we wouldn’t need the louder pipes. 90% of the time is doesn’t improve performance anyway, just some rubbish rumour. Having travelled the county, it’s the same old story, people quick to complain but they moved there in the first place? Why would you if you don’t like the noise and the motorcyclists? As for free parking why not? Most modern cars are taxed on the emissions they produce so some are low tax or even free yet bikes are taxed on the engine size and are quite often now a more than a car tax. So if you if want to go on about parking then perhaps we should start about motorcycles being equal in the way they are taxed.
I am a motorcyclist and visit rye regularly with many of my biking friends last weekends visit I was with 14 other riders we all stopped and had a very nice lunch and went quietly on our way the cost of lunch drinks cost between 5 and ten pounds per head so roughly 75 to 150 pounds for our group we are more than happy to take that revenue elsewhere to a more biker friendly location one of the charities maintained by the biking community is SERV or the blood runners at is more known we don’t discriminate as to your mode of transport when we are travelling to you with vital medical supplies or blood to the hospital or support for the air ambulance no discrimination just using our noisy horrible polluting motorcycles to save lives may be even someone from your family so spare a thought for the bikers you so readily discriminate against. While on the subject of free parking and cars being charged and bikes not my bike takes up less than half the space of a car on the road pollutes less than the majority of cars causes less damage to the road surface than any car but my road fund license is 93 times more than I pay for my 1600cc large family saloon car we pay for our road use just the sam as any other road users so please don’t use that as an argument as it doesn’t was I would be happy to pay to park at the quay but if the comments here are representative of the businesses and residents of rye I would much rather support a more bike friendly community that appreciates the charitable work many of the biking community do
Hi
I’ve been coming to the for many years on my bike,I love the town & the people,it s great historical place.
It would be ashame if we couldn’t come to park on the quay.
I’ve meet many friends there on bikes & off.
We always eat in the cafes there as well so adding money to the area.
But maybe pay a charge to park our bikes,I would.
Thanks kev.
When we moved from Military Road to Winchelsea Road we were concerned that the motobikes may be noisy. However the noise was more noticeable as they sped along Military Road & I imagine it’s the same for other approach roads to Rye. They are at their noisiest as they leave the Strand Quay.
Considering the numbers that come, once they are parked we have rarely heard trouble from them. I can understand that when the public toilets were closed it was a different kind of nuisance, but the visiting public in general caused the same problem. If they are speeding or breaking the sound levels they should be controlled by law as should any other nuisance.
If they give trade to Rye businesses it must be helpful in these troubled times.
Rather than the draconian solution of closing the quay and depriving the local business owners from , what i am sure is , a valued revenue stream , perhaps initially a period of education by the use of some signage asking for a degree of moderation of noise and speed may well have the desired result . Generally the majority are well mannered and they will be deprived as will traders of benefit should the area be closed. So perhaps initially some requests to be respectful to residents wishes may yield compromise suitable to all .
Would it really be fair to punish/restrict the vast majority because of the behaviour of a few? I am 68, have a road legal bike (and a car), with the factory exhaust system. If I couldn’t park at the Strand, I would probably carry on to Winchelsea or Hastings, for lunch, instead. Rye’s loss.
I think there is a case for saying that combustion engine motorcycles, certainly from 125cc upwards, are intrinsically antisocial, as they are significantly noisier than cars on the whole due to higher RPM and shorter exhausts. It is disappointing yet predictable that not one of the pro-motorcycle lobby has mentioned electric motorcycles, even though fossil fuel engines need to be phased out as soon as possible. My strong suspicion is that the noise is part of their fun, at the expense of everyone else. We’ve seen a myriad of excuses as to why motorcyclists are entitled to inflict their noise on others: we’re rich / we work for charities / we work hard / it is not us, it is others / cars are worse / others are anti-social too / we’ve always done it.
This summer has been exceptionally bad, and sadly it’s not just limited to daytime, I have often been woken at 1am or 4am by motorcyclists whizzing through town. Noise is a huge stressor. A Venn diagram with motorcyclists and inconsiderate people would have a very substantial overlap, many motorcyclists prefer denial of the issue. Sure, some need it for work, others might factor in how to minimise the noise when they are buying or driving a motorbike, but it’s a tiny minority, most are just selfish and don’t care.
I’m all in favour of supporting the local economy, but think this needs to be done sustainably, it should not have to rely on anti-social polluters. The Town Council and EA should be promoting walking and cycling and other healthy pursuits as a priority.
Just to put it into perspective when the police last did a clamp down only 2 out of 34 Speeding vehicles were motorbikes the other 32 were cars!!
How about you look at stopping those first
There’s always a minority of idiots who will spool things for the larger community but this is no reason to remove community resources or where will we be? The larger community will have nothing but idiots will still be idiots – and no good relying on them being idiots elsewhere! Deal with any problems on an individual basis and allow the larger community to enjoy the resources.
You dont need to do a blanket ban on everyone which seems to be the easy option these days,
There are sufficient laws in place to cover the issues that are trouble, eg noise, speeding (if posible through rye?) Anti social behaviour, All you need to do is inforce them.
Herne bay, ramsgate, folksone, whitstable to name just a few welcome motorcyclists open arms. I’ll happily spend my money in those towns from now on.
I am a 50 yr old married mother and grandmother and have been coming to Rye since I was a child and have bought family there including paying for parents to stay at Jeeks House and for myself and husband to stay at the windmill B&B and Rye Lodge for anniversary’s. We’ve eaten at the Mermaid and several other establishments. Bought shoes and clothes amounting to a substantial amount of money spent in your town.
I also come to Rye on my motorbike for a coffee or an Ice Cream. I do not speed I do not have a noisy exhaust ( some that do is because to increase their safety so other car users hear them as more often they don’t see us). By all means add a time restriction say from 8-8 in summer time and shorter in winter but I will take my custom elsewhere if this is how we are to be treated.
Oh and yes I’m a member of a charity for veterans in need. We work hard as we own our own business and biking is our only down time.
There are many beautiful towns with cafes that would welcome our hard earned money. Alienating bikers could be detrimental to your local businesses.
Not anti-motorcycle but certainly anti-noise. I’ve been awakened at 7 am many, many times by motorcycles roaring down Military Road at high speeds from Appledore. It can be impossible to have a conversation in the front garden until the fleet has passed. These can NOT be legal mufflers.
I have a friend from university who rides one of the biggest Harleys they make—and he takes pride in the fact that it runs absolutely silently. Far more impressive than a posturing roar.
They would never even consider banning car drivers because of the actions of a minority. Pure discrimination!
Yes I agree. I am anti excessive noise pollution. We live in a rural community with farming and surrounded by a nature reserve.
I have witnessed sheep being spooked by a sudden piercing noise and horses putting their ears back hearing sounds before us humans hear them.
And peoples’ physical and mental health are adversely affected by excessive noise , constant and intermittent.
Noise pollution is illegal and there are laws to prevent and stop it.
The cars and HGVs on the A259 where I live, produce a fraction of the noise that motor bikes emit. Adhering to the 30mph speed limit which really does reduce bike noise, is something many bikers rarely do.
(I’ve had to re write this as if you leave the page while your comment is being moderated, it gets lost.)
In full agreement. I see the wildlife in my garden flee from the noise. Is the countryside not their home too to enjoy ? And I’ve only just learned that people with hearing aids suffer too from these high pitched intentionally noisy motorbikes.
The bikes which annoy me the most are the solo riders – not groups. I live in Icklesham, not on the main road but on a parallel cul-de-sac about 100 yards away. You can hear the bike approaching from the Hastings direction, it roars through the village, and the sound then goes all the way up the road to Winchelsea. The reverse blast of noise is also very audible. Is this a local rider? Whoever it is, the air is being polluted by exhaust fumes and noise. The group riders are quieter, but still speeding through the village. SIGN OUR PETITION