City leaders are exploring fines, confiscations and even penalties for parents to get off-highway vehicles off the streets.
We need to raise $25,000 by August 9 to support the reporting our community depends on. Reader support keeps us independent and is playing a larger role in funding local journalism and shaping what comes next.
If you believe independent local journalism matters, make a contribution today.members are working on regulations to crack down on street use of dirt bikes, electric motorcycles, four-wheelers and other prohibited vehicles. Though the restrictions would apply to everyone, the effort is specifically intended to keep young ridersIn May, 14-year-old Angel Mendoza and 17-year-old Isaac Rivera Cruz were killed while riding a go-kart near South Federal Boulevard and West Evans Avenue in southwest Denver.
The boys reportedly drove the go-kart out of a parking lot and onto Evans Avenue, cutting in front of a moving SUV, according to the police report. The SUV struck the go-kart, killing both boys.
“We can’t just sit back and wait for the next fatality,” says Councilman Kevin Flynn, who is leading the effort with Councilman Chris Hinds. “It’s simply something we have to address,” Flynn adds.
“Next time this happens, I don’t want to have to say to a family, ‘We’re sorry, but we didn’t do anything this. '”off-highway vehicles from public streets, roads and highways statewide.
However, Denver police say a city ordinance could help clarify the rules for the public and strengthen enforcement options for authorities.
“I have not been to a community meeting in the past six months where this hasn’t come up,” DPD Deputy Chief Aaron Sanchez says. “Anytime these vehicles are on the roadway, they create a safety hazard; one, for the rider, and two, for the general public. ”on July 16; footage from Fox31 shows them running multiple red lights, blocking the bus lane and popping wheelies. Social media posts of the group ride appear to show minors taking part.
Recent devastating crashes throughout the metro have made city officials rethink how they handle the vehicles. On July 16, aSanchez says it is difficult to put a number on the scope of the issue in Denver. He says police try to give warnings rather than citations when dealing with minors, and crash reports are fragmented across various categories depending on how the vehicle is identified. Specifics for Denver’s potential regulations are slim.
Council members are early in the research phase for the proposed ordinance, and it will likely undergo changes once introduced to the rest of the council. Hinds says he is looking at Douglas County’s new restrictions for inspiration. The county’s ordinance requires operators of certain off-highway vehicles to have driver’s licenses and insurance, and addsfor driving on roads and sidewalks, the Colorado Sun reported. Parents can face fines if they knowingly allow their children to ride unauthorized vehicles.
Aurora’s ordinanceFlynn is exploring the possibility of criminal charges against parents who provide vehicles to their children if they are operated in an illegal manner. He points to an ongoing California case in which a“I really hope that we can get the word out, focus a spotlight on the problem, and cause parents to think twice,” Flynn says.
“It is illegal to ride any of these vehicles in Denver, but parents are buying them for their kids. … It’s already illegal. What can we do? Make it more illegal?
There’s already a parental responsibility. ” Sanchez says he is “indifferent” toward going after parents. He’d rather the ordinance make it easier for law enforcement to confiscate off-highway vehicles when they’re ridden on public streets. Current nuisance abatement laws have “very, very high standards” for when officers can seize property, Sanchez says, making them difficult to apply to riding off-highway vehicles.
He wants city council to establish a three-strike system for confiscating the vehicles when they are unlawfully ridden on public streets.
“I would not be supportive of taking a kid’s mini bike the first time they did it, but if it’s repeated behavior, maybe three strikes, I would like to see the seizure of the vehicle,” Sanchez explains. “That seems, to me, to have more value in correcting behavior than a citation. ”after he was struck by a vehicle while riding a rentable Veo e-bike.
Since Veo became the city’s new micromobility operator, some residents have Hinds says he is looking into the possibility of requiring age verification for users to rent Veo scooters. That proposal would be separate from the off-road vehicle ordinance. According to Hinds, city council previously discussed mandatory identification as part of the sign-up process for e-bike and e-scooter rentals.
However, there were concerns that an ID requirement would negatively impact “migrants and people who are afraid to submit documentation. ”“We want to make sure that our city is as welcoming as possible and that these people can get around our city. So, we ended up removing the ID requirement,” he explains.
“Under further consideration, we’re taking another look at that. ”Council members do not have an estimated timeframe for when the off-road vehicle ordinance will be introduced. Flynn says they will conduct public outreach when there are more specifics, so residents should be informed about the proposal before city council holds a vote.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Flynn says. “Frankly, it’s extremely difficult to enforce because if there’s a police presence around, the kids aren’t going to be doing it. … I don’t want to make anybody think that we’ll pass this and that’ll stop it. It won’t.
But I can’t get the image of those two kids on the go-kart out of my mind. ”Support Local Journalism The article you just read is made possible by a mix of advertising, sponsorships and reader support. As advertising revenue continues to shift, reader support plays a vital role in sustaining the reporting, investigations, restaurant and arts coverage, and storytelling our community relies on. Become a member today and help keep our journalism free and independent.
, where she covered the Colorado Legislature, the Denver and Aurora city councils and breaking news. Hannah has been honored with numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Press Association, Colorado Student Media Association and Denver Press Club. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a major in journalism and a minor in political science.
Please follow us on Google to support usUnited States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Salt Lake City is 'America's Mountain City' in new tourism campaignCounty tourism officials are launching a catchy new way to capitalize on Salt Lake City's proximity to mountains.
Read more »
Denver's hottest day of the year so farIt will be a hot and dry day across Colorado's Eastern Plains. A heat advisory continues until 9 p.m. Monday, with temperatures soaring to near 100 degrees by early afternoon.
Read more »
Denver City Council plans to vote on postponing ordinance extending bar, club hours until 4 a.m.Denver City Council on Monday plans to vote on postponing an ordinance that would allow some bars and clubs to stay open until 4 a.m., a measure city officials argue will help make Denver safer for nightclub goers.
Read more »
Denver City Council postpones vote on nightclub licenses after shooting left 1 dead, 8 injuredCity officials say they hope the new law would help them react to violent incidents.
Read more »