Campaign to bring a motorcycle track to Darlington (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Campaign to bring a motorcycle track to Darlington

2:20pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in News By Alexa Copeland, Reporter (Darlington)

A BIKER is campaigning for a dedicated off-road motorcycle track to be created in Darlington.

The police regularly receive complaints about motorcyclists riding on public land and 24-year-old biker, Phil Carlsen, of Branksome, says the situation would improve for everyone if a track or field was set aside for enthusiasts.

He has launched a petition calling for a track in Darlington and said: “The main issue isn’t really about the bikers benefiting from a track; it’s clear that it would benefit everyone if there was a place for them to go.

“The police wouldn’t have to waste time and money chasing them around and dog walkers and children would be safer if having a track stopped the bikes from using nature reserves and fields.”

Mr Carlsen said that tracks exist in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, but off-road bikers in Darlington have nowhere to go.

He recently sold his own off-road bike out of frustration at not being able to ride it anywhere locally and said it was becoming increasingly difficult to get permission from farmers to use their land.

“I am sure there is plenty of wasteland in Darlington, especially around the industrial estates where bikers could go and not be a nuisance to anybody,” he said.

“It just makes sense to me."

Police motorcyclists from Durham recently visited Darlington to crackdown on bikers using public land and PC Iain Nelson said he was in favour of a dedicated track being built for them.

The petition calling for a track in Darlington can be signed online by visiting www.thepetitionsite.com and typing Darlington in the ‘find a petition’ option.