Nanaimo RCMP say they have seen an “alarming increase” in dangerous behaviour by motorcycle riders on city streets, including riding on the wrong side of the road in the path of oncoming vehicles, driving on sidewalks and riding at night with no lights.
Many of those activities are being posted to social media, police said.
“Based on what has been reported and sometimes witnessed by our officers, it is only a manner of time before someone is seriously injured or killed,” said Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien.
Police said there have been 104 reported incidents so far this year, significantly up from the 73 in all of 2023 and 50 in 2022.
The Mounties say they’ve received reports of motorcycle riders doing wheelies, taking videos of themselves, travelling two and three abreast, and cutting in and out of traffic.
In one incident, an officer saw a motorcyclist driving recklessly who seemed to be trying to bait police into giving chase, O’Brien said.
“With a full-face shield and no licence on the bike, it makes it very difficult to determine who the individual is.”
Police said they are “narrowing the suspect pool” but need information from the public to help with the investigation.
The majority of the reports this year involve incidents in the early evening in the Harewood area near the University Village mall and the Cinnabar area near the Southgate mall.
Other incidents have been reported around the Country Club mall and Departure Bay.
Based on what witnesses and officers have seen, the motorcycle riders appear to be males ranging in age from 16 to their early 20s who are on high-performance bikes not licensed for use on roads.
Most wear bright, multi-coloured jackets.
Fines for their stunts could range from $196 to $598 under the Motor Vehicle Act, and if their behavior is extreme enough, riders could also face Criminal Code charges.
Campbell River RCMP reported in August that a youth was seen on social media appearing to ride a bicycle into traffic while another youth filmed it.
They said there were similar incidents over the summer involving both mountain bikes and electric motorbikes that weren’t street-legal.
Contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 with any information.
