SPRINGFIELD -- City councilors said this week they want to hear from gas station owners before voting on a new ordinance that would prohibit the sale of gasoline to riders of dirt bikes and other illegal recreational vehicles in Springfield.
The council’s Public Safety Committee has scheduled a meeting on Monday at 3 p.m., by remote, to hear about any concerns or suggestions. The full council will consider final passage of the ordinance at a special council meeting at 4 p.m. that day.
Councilor Orlando Ramos, the lead sponsor, said the ordinance is one additional tool to crack down on dirt bikes and similar vehicles.
“It’s a public safety issue,” Ramos said. “These dirt bikes are not only a nuisance but also dangerous. Many people have been hurt in incidents involving illegal dirt bikers and even deaths. We must do what we can.”
Under the ordinance, signs would be posted at the gas pumps in English and Spanish, stating that “fueling of all-terrain vehicles, mini cycles, dirt bikes or other unauthorized vehicles prohibited.” The sale of gasoline is allowed if those vehicles are loaded on a trailer, and gasoline can also be pumped into authorized sealed containers.
The ordinance is “not a cure-all but it will help,” said Ramos, who is chairman of the Public Safety Committee.
Since introducing the ordinance in April, Ramos said there have been two committee meetings for discussion of the ordinance, and some gas station owners were invited to attend, but did not, Ramos said.
Ramos is urging the council to give final approval of the ordinance on Monday given the increase in illegal dirt biking during the summer months.
The station may be issued a warning by a Fire Department official, and thereafter would be subject to a $100 fine for any infractions, Ramos said. Any fine would be assessed to the station owner, not the employees, he said.
Several councilors said this week they want to give gas stations an additional chance to comment. Monday’s meeting is scheduled to provide the opportunity, being conducted by remote due to the coronavirus.
Ramos said he does not believe the ordinance poses any hardship for the gas stations and believes many agree the dirt bike activity is a nuisance and safety issue.
There are some communities in Connecticut that have a similar ordinance including New Haven, Ramos said. The New Haven ordinance was used in helping to craft the Springfield ordinance, he said.
Springfield police have confiscated approximately 30 dirt bikes and other illegal vehicles in the city this year, Ramos said.
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