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AIBU?

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Original poster

Does your town/city have a problem with teens in bicycles?

96 replies

legofansmum · 27/08/2018 17:12

I live in a small city, would be a town if we didn't have a cathedral (size wise)

Over the past year or so there has been a lot of trouble with boys aged 11 ish-16 ish causing havoc on bikes. They mainly go around in large groups. They like to do wheelies, pull up in front of in coming traffic, circulate cars and buses. Swear and abuse the general public.

Today a group of them cycled up to a lady and for no reason at all knocked her phone out of her hand - smashing it in the process. They continued to be a nuisance, shouting and swearing abuse.

Last month a huge group of them had to be escorted by the police as they all rode their bikes dangerously down a dual carriageway. There were at least 60 of them!

They also like to ride their bikes and perform wheelies in the city centre in pedestrian only areas- really dangerous , especially for anyone infirm around them. They also cause havoc for local shopkeepers.

Is this a nationwide thing or a local phenomenon? Baffles me why they put their own and others lives at risk . I was on a bus earlier in year where they kept riding in front of it. The driver had to slam brakes due to it. Could've caused a nasty accident.

Worries me greatly as my son grows up, what society is becoming.

OP posts:
scaryteacher · 28/08/2018 14:18

Maybe if people hadn't voted Tory, the youth centres would still be open and there would be somewhere for them to go and something for them to do.

However did we cope in the 70s/80s having to make our own amusement? The problem is that these kids are used to instant entertainment and aren't used to the concept of being bored. God help them when the reality of adulthood sets in.

5000KallaxHoles · 28/08/2018 14:47

Maybe if people hadn't voted Tory, the youth centres would still be open and there would be somewhere for them to go and something for them to do.

Our little local band of arseholes have a skate/bmx park open to them directly next to where they like to fuck about, a community centre with youth drop in area about 5 minutes pedal up the road, the local library has evening opening hours about 5 minutes pedal in the other direction, they're between two community centres with youth activities going on (yes we are very very lucky in terms of stuff that's not been axed or has been taken over by the community and thriving) plus assorted other stuff I don't know about... they just don't want to do any of it and want to hang around being pains in the bloody arse for everyone. The only thing that stops them making a bloody nuisance of themselves on their bikes is if it's really really pissing it down.

Walkerbean16 · 28/08/2018 15:45

yes. normally outside the local shops, one had another in a headlock the other day and it looked rough so i went over and said are you alright? and got told to fuck off. charming.

OutPinked · 28/08/2018 16:03

Moped/scooter type things more than bicycles. They’re an absolute nuisance on the road and I’ve nearly run one over before now. They barely ever wear helmets and think they’re ‘ard pulling wheelies in the middle of the road. Hate them.

Oblomov18 · 28/08/2018 16:07

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WeldMeDaphne · 28/08/2018 16:08

I think I live in the same town/ city 😂 suburb beginning with Q here tho. They’re an absolute menace, luckily we’re tucked away a bit, but when we are out and about we see them everywhere. All with the same ridiculous haircut as well 🙄

frankie001 · 28/08/2018 16:16

Yes here in north London too.

honeysucklejasmine · 28/08/2018 21:34

NerrSnerr that's where I am too. I heard lots of tales of tearaway teens whilst we were buying our house and I almost pulled out. But actually I don't see anything here, it's v quiet.

NerrSnerr · 28/08/2018 21:54

Honey i think most of the village is quiet, I think we see the worst of it because of where our house is but it has got much better recently.

Confusedandfrightened · 28/08/2018 22:37

Nerrsnerr and Honey yep I live here too. A bunch of the little gits cycled in front and across my path when driving through some lights last week, nearly killed themsleves idiots Angry

Shartnado · 28/08/2018 22:43

OP I think I think you are from the same place as me, begins with a G? Have seen the noodle headed twunts riding around the town centre earlier today, popping wheelies and almost hitting random shoppers in the pedestrianised area.

Shartnado · 28/08/2018 22:47

Ah caught up and can see we are defo from the same place, I live in Hcote and haven't seen them round here but have seen them around the town centre and bworth. They are left alone in the holiday to do as they please it seems. Fuck all else for them to do so they just go around terrorising people instead.

It worries me that their parents clearly have no idea where and what the hell their kids are up to!!

Talkingfrog · 28/08/2018 22:58

Stopitandtidyup - I have seen them wait for the lights to turn green before deciding to cycle across in front of the first row of cars.

Was in a side road the other week. Saw a kid doing wheelies on his bike up ahead where I needed to turn right. He saw me and headed towards me, so I stopped (I was going around a parked car at the time). He stopped the wheelie as his front wheel was level with my bonnet, and as he squeezed between me and the curb announced his "skill". No skill involved. If I had not stopped, he would have been underneath or over the top!

Town centre seems to be a bit better, but the security team can't do much as the kids just mouth off at them and carry on.

I think a few of us may be talking about the same place, that has already been mentioned.

Mandarine · 28/08/2018 23:17

Yes I’ve seen this several times in Piccadilly Circus of all places. Wheelies and veering across lanes in groups of about ten or more. I’ve also seen it in Chiswick and those boys looked very young - maybe about 13/14? Similarly, in London Bridge where they seem to congregate by the river to compare wheelies or whatever, before careering off to zig zag across traffic. Absolutely crazy. Why do the parents even let them have a bike? Or let them out the house for that matter? Lunatics. I can’t understand why it’s not been on the news yet.

Shezza71 · 29/08/2018 00:06

Yep they're here too, just outside SW London. Our Facebook pages are full of complaints and updates of their latest activity. A lot of people also defending them as "having fun". Encountered them twice myself but in very small groups. First time as I drove over a bridge, they were literally cycling towards me on my side as I was just going over, only just saw them in time and some had passengers on handlebars. And today, stopped at train tracks. They were doing wheelies up and down the road on the other side of the train track and as barriers went up 2 of them, looked about 11/12 cycled straight toward me, looking me right in the eye as they approached. I stayed stationary until they passedConfused

SpringSnow · 29/08/2018 10:08

If drivers were allowed to mow down those twerps I bet there would be a lot less cycle based idiocy.

Cauliflowersqueeze · 29/08/2018 10:21

It's a power game, and one of intentional intimidation.

Correct.

There’s a Facebook page for a town very near where I live and someone put up photos of boys doing exactly this - large group going deliberately incredibly slowly in front of traffic. He wanted parents to identify them.

The ABUSE he got - “you fuckin paedophile” “taking photos of young kids just having fun” “didn’t you ever ride a bike with your friends?” “You PERV” “he’s no angel but he’s my boy just out with his mates!!!” “If there was a youth centre none of this would happen!!” “I didn’t give you permission to take a photo of my lil boy!!”
Etc etc.

To the OP who is confused as to why the parents don’t take away their bikes or ground them...?
1 - some of them are genuinely scared of their own kids and prefer to placate them than try and put in any restrictions
2 - some don’t know what they get up to “just going to hang out with my friends mum”
3 - some are so involved with their own dramas and issues that not having their kids kicking around the house is one less thing to worry about
4 - some work
5 - some don’t care

pudcat · 29/08/2018 10:21

Yes this is happening in our small market town in the east anglian fens. They are in groups travelling on wrong side of the road towards cars or going slowly in front of cars doing wheelies. Looking on other facebook groups from towns and villages in the fens it seems to be very widespread. We are also plagued with boy racers in stolen cars and under the influence of drugs. There are several mentioned each day on the policing pages.

Cauliflowersqueeze · 29/08/2018 10:24

I think there should be a curfew for all under 16s not to be allowed out and about without an adult after -6pm- 9pm

cloudyweewee · 29/08/2018 10:25

It happens in my suburb of Birmingham, too. I would love to see one of the cocky little shits mown down.

cloudyweewee · 29/08/2018 10:26

Meant to add that a couple of motnhs ago, there was a huge gang of boys/teens terrorising local shop owners, swarming in and looting and then riding off. One woman had her tyres slashed when she tried to stand up to them.

Cauliflowersqueeze · 29/08/2018 10:37

Awww cloudy but they were only having funnnnnn

Shezza71 · 29/08/2018 10:51

Scary thing is these kids having fun on their bikes will soon be old enough to have 'fun' driving cars

cariadlet · 29/08/2018 10:51

On my phone and struggling to copy and paste but somebody suggested a curfew.

I watched a really interesting little video on the BBC homepage this morning. It was all about Iceland. In the last 20 years it's gone from having the highest rates of teenage drinking and drug use to the lowest. It gave the % for drinking among 14 and 15 year olds and the drop was unbelievable.

They've put loads of strategies in place to effect that change and one of them is a curfew for teenagers.

VelvetSpoon · 29/08/2018 11:05

Yes where we are (SE London) there is a lot of it, mainly tweens/ early teens. A group were apparently doing wheelies through the local shopping mall last week. They regularly wheelie down the road 5 abreast and weave in and out of traffic. If course if one got knocked over by a car the parents would be all up in arms about car drivers, their poor boy etc.

We also have an issue with mopeds (this is about age 15 and up) being ridden in a dangerous manner with no helmets, no insurance, often numberplates removed or obscured etc. Where I'm from in Essex these moped riders have now escalated to crime, lots of muggings, phone and bag theft. Police interest and involvement is more than disappointing.

I've also seen sonething similar to a poster above...anyone trying to post photos of these kids is called a paedo and told they will be reported to the police 'because taking photos of kids is illegal' Hmm/ banned from the site.

The kids have nothing to do argument is bs. The parents who didn't bother parenting their kids used to say the same 30 years ago (when there was much less to do in terms of tech etc). We did have youth clubs etc but the trouble makers (like the kids in .y year who used to set fire to bins and bus shelters because they were bored) would never have set foot in one!