Anyone seeking a peaceful refuge in the city’s largest park is in for a rude awakening these days, with dirt bikes, ATVs, loud music and late-night parties running rampant through footpaths and fields.
“The situation is out of control,” said Dorothy Fennell, who lives beside Franklin Park. “This wouldn’t be tolerated in the Public Garden or the Common. The city is not managing the situation and because they’re not managing it, they’re now facing opportunities for crashes and potentially pitting members of the community against each other.”
Fennell said the motorized vehicles are a hazard to joggers and families. Parties with loud, amplified music can rage until 6 a.m., keeping her and her family awake.
Councilor Matt O’Malley, who represents Jamaica Plain, called the dirt bikers, ATVs and loud late-night parties a “quality of life issue and an obvious public safety issue.”
O’Malley is hosting a virtual community meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4, via Zoom where stakeholders can voice their concerns and brainstorm solutions.
“We need to make sure we’re striking the right balance where we make sure people can enjoy the park and enjoy it well while recognizing that people live very close by,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley said the problems with dirt bikers, parties and ATVs “ebbs and flows” but have been “particularly bad lately.”
Neighbors worry about the potential for violence. Last August, a man was fatally shot near the park entrance. More recently, violence has afflicted other Boston parks. Just last week a spray of bullets erupted at South Boston’s Moakley Park yards from where children were holding lacrosse and track practices.
In an email thread with city councilors, members of the Franklin Park Coalition, city officials and neighbors, Zoo New England President and CEO John Linehan said, “we too experience struggles from the unsafe use of dirt bikes and loud music into the early morning hours.”
Fennell, who has lived in the area for 15 years, said police and city park rangers seem “overwhelmed” by the sheer volume of dirt bikers and partiers.
O’Malley said the 135-year-old, 500-acre park is due for a $28 million upgrade that includes new gates and other improvements that he said would limit access.
But Fennell said she wants to see the city take action now.
“That does not address the here and now problem,” she said. “There are countless examples of master plans sitting on the shelf for periods of time.”
Boston Police said they are working to crack down on illegal dirt bikes and ATVs.
“We direct patrols to certain areas as needed and strongly urge anyone with information on where dirt bikes are being stored to contact the police,” said spokesman Sgt. John Boyle.
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‘Out of control’ dirt bikes, ATVs and loud parties taking over at Franklin Park, neighbors say - Boston Herald
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