Madam, - As I started out on foot from Kilmashogue car park one recent Sunday I encountered at least 15 motorcycle scramblers along the first mile of the Wicklow Way. One nearly knocked me down as he shot out of the woods.
Apart from questions of personal safety, these kids ruin the place with their noise and pollution, the very things walkers come to this amenity area to escape. If that were not enough, they turn the paths into mulch, making them dangerously slippy, damage plants and frighten fauna.
This is not a new phenomenon. But why is nothing done about it? I accept that teenagers with energy to burn need to do it somehow and that this is better than burning cars or robbing old ladies.
However, they should not be allowed to take over the woods at the expense of all around them.
We need signs that spell out the damage to peace and quiet, clean air, flora and fauna. Walkers should be encouraged to call the local Garda station if they see anyone scrambling (the number should be given on the sign).
Parents who buy their children these bikes and kit them out with helmets and leathers should be made aware of the nuisance caused by such vehicles in amenity areas.
The Garda Síochána should visit the area from time to time to discourage this activity.
Finally, some suitable space should be made available specifically for scrambling, far away from areas of natural beauty. - Is mise,
DERVILA COOKE,
Nutgrove Avenue,
Dublin 14.