Albany needs to do something about people illegally (and dangerously) riding their ATV's up and down certain heavily populated streets.  If the city doesn't address the situation soon, an innocent bystander is going to get seriously injured. I was able to capture part of their reckless rumble on video.

​Lark Street in Albany is a popular neighborhood known for its blend of great restaurants and bars with quaint shops and specialty stores.  It's also home to thousands of residents who proudly walk the streets with their families and pets enjoying the views fun festive atmosphere.

On any given afternoon or evening you'll see hundreds, maybe even thousands of people outside walking and enjoying the street.  Traffic is always a concern but most of the time drivers are aware, respectful, conscientious and law-abiding.

However, over the past year or so, men (their faces covered) have hummed up and down Lark street (and other Center Square streets) on ATV's.  They ride together in packs; never fewer than two at times as many as six or eight.

They illegally drive their ATV's fast and rev their engines loud, popping wheelies as they fly around cars, pedestrians and even take detours in the wrong direction on one-way streets.

Police claim they are unable to identify these bandits because the vehicles aren't registered and they can't get a good look at their faces.  It should also be noted that some of the police I've spoken to have told me that these ATV outlaws are able to evade police by going up on the sidewalk to get away from them, taunting our hard-working police officers as they get away.

What gives.

I live in Center Square.  I'm raising a family there.  Thousands of patrons visit the neighborhood regularly to enjoy what this vibrant and eccentric street has to offer. Does someone like me need to be seriously injured or die for change to happen?

Here's a video I was able to capture a few weeks ago.  This is middle of the day, plenty of people out and about, and plenty of cars.  You may even notice a single police officer walking his beat, unable to do anything. They showed zero regard for him or anyone else for that matter.  At the end of the video, you see the one idiot pop a wheelie while another ATV veers into the wrong lane facing oncoming traffic.

 

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