Toronto neighbourhood's had enough of obnoxious motorcycle street racing
The incessant sounds of motorcycle engines revving and mufflers popping have become too much for Toronto residents to bear.
The most annoying of all Toronto drivers—street racers—have come out of hibernation with the arrival of good weather and hit the streets, mostly along the waterfront, with their bikes from hell.
Those living near the city's streets-turned-race-tracks are being kept up by horrible sounds at all hours of the night, and apparently the brazen racers are even at it during the day.
The nightly motorcycle racing up and down the streets of New Toronto is another serious issue around here. @Mark_Grimes what’s the plan?
— patricia (@brokennewto) May 25, 2021
Residents of New Toronto are being hit hard by the raucous riders, but the Don Valley Parkway, the Gardiner Expressway and Spadina also seem to be favourite urban racetracks.
People have taken to social media to complain about being woken up in the wee hours of the morning.
like clockwork a pack of street racing motorcycles just went by, popping wheelies on Lakeshore Blvd in #Toronto
— Driving In Toronto (@driving_toronto) May 25, 2021
Our color night vision cameras arrive in a week or two which will better identify the motorcyclists
The home owners will definitely appreciate any help from the media
One person says they were jolted awake in their 21st-floor unit by what they described as hundreds of bikes racing along Lake Shore Blvd.
Another person who lives along the Queensway says that the decibel readings for the mufflers hit 90dB at 1 a.m. (The normal range for motorcycles in Toronto averages in the low 80s.) Hundreds of people living along the Gardiner have also been subject to the sounds.
Last night was brutal, again. There must have been hundreds of bikes racing. One vehicle, at 230am was so loud with my door closed, on the 21st floor, woke me up and scared me and made my heart race. Poor people who live street level.
— Bkchk (@Bkchk7) May 22, 2021
Stunt driving has become a major problem in Toronto since the onset of the pandemic.
Last summer's relatively empty streets attracted more stunt drivers than ever, with cases nearly doubling since quarantine began. This summer is no different.
another regular daily racer on Lakeshore Blvd with no exhaust muffler system at all, and blurred out license plate cover. #Toronto #noisemaker @CP24 @CityNews @CTVNews pic.twitter.com/BDZf5gr3sA
— Driving In Toronto (@driving_toronto) April 18, 2021
Drivers are also purportedly using tricks to hide their license plates, to avoid being captured on camera.
Last week, Ontario announced tougher penalties for people who engage in street racing or stunt driving.
Evidently, that hasn't deterred the bikers from taking over Toronto with their illegal exhausts. Toronto residents will have to grin and bear it through the hellish sounds coming from the city's streets.
