Cyprus-Forum.com

[cyprusgeoff]

News item: -

Police crack down on Paphos quad bike plague
By Bejay Browne

NOISY quad bikes are causing misery for villagers in Paphos.

The residents of six Paphos villages have complained to the traffic police about teenage drivers tearing through their villages on four-wheel bikes.

Many of these ‘quads’ are only suitable for off- road driving, but some are legal, and meet EU vehicle regulations.

“It’s the same problem we face with motorbikes,” head of Paphos traffic police Zenon Psathites told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

“These quad machines are very noisy, and cause the same noise pollution as motorbikes.”

Psathites said there had been a rise in the number of quads on Paphos roads in the last two years, though he added that overall, noise pollution was less of a problem in the district.

“In this instance though, we’ve had many complaints from residents of the villages of Mesoyi, Tala, Tremithusa, Emba, Kissonerga and Chlorakas,” he said. “They seem to be most affected at present.”

“We have a campaign to try to eliminate this problem,” he added. “At least once a week, police are in these areas, trying to prevent illegal machines from driving on the road, and to stop any offenders. Lawbreakers are charged and sent to court,” he noted.

“Since January, we have had around ten such cases, and the culprits paid fines ranging from €500-€1,000,for various charges.”

The traffic police chief said offending bikes were confiscated, and only returned to the owners once they had taken appropriate action to register them, and meet the regulations required.

“Obviously it would be better if these machines were only permitted for use off road, but if they are properly registered, the law allows them to be driven on the roads,” he conceded.

“We are always grateful for information received from the general public, which helps us tackle this, and other traffic offences,” he added.

Andreas Costantinou has lived in Tala for two years, and is greatly affected by this problem.

“Tala is a lovely place to live,” he told the Cyprus Mail. “But these quad bikes are making life here a misery. Teenagers ride them, and they seem to make continual rounds of the villages in the area.

“I’m talking about day and night,” he said. “I have really had enough.”

Costantinou added: “I think Cyprus should ban these bikes from the roads, and permit their use only for off road driving, which I’m sure they are more suitable for.

“I moved to a village because I wanted some peace, after living in the centre of Paphos for years. It seems as if no corner of Paphos is quiet any more. I know my neighbours feel as I do,” he added.

“I would like to know why the parents of these youngsters are allowing them to behave in this way.

“If it was my son or daughter, I would teach them to respect other people. It’s a sign of the times.”

Well lets just wait and see if anything happens and if anything is done about it.

[Shipwreck]

Very good news they have become a real pain in the a***se around Emba. Even if they are street legal the exhaust decibel would not pass the safe levels by virtue of the quad design

[Z4]

Try visiting Marakesh, bikes, quads are bloody awful here and all of them chuck out alot of crap. Very bad for your lungs

[Crivens]

Stuff the quads, what about those bikes that go up the street at 2am and sound like (turbo charged massively amplephied) tractors? You can generally hear them coming about a mile off, Police obviously don't care, and they can easily be spotted because the riders tend to think they are in T2 (note the stance, the look, the hair, and the glasses, and absolute disregard for safety in the form of helmets and the like). Fun...

Cheers

[CBBB]

What you need is the old cheese wire between two lamposts!

[roseandchan]

you don't need that in cyprus the roads are full of dust. hubby came off his about 4 times in one year. i made him sell it. great for country lanes in the uk but not in cyprus.

[dogfish]

you mean the donkey force are going to get off their ass and do some work. wot about the guys with no helmets, the wheelie freaks and the standard of poor driving. eh that can go on a bit longer, no problem .