Neighbors, Businesses Fed Up With People Riding Dirt Bikes, Street Cars Outside Hunting Park Plaza
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Neighbors in Hunting Park say they are fed up with people riding dirt bikes and street cars outside and in some cases inside of businesses. So not only are they speaking up, they're blocking off parts of a parking lot.
During the day people in Philadelphia's Hunting Park neighborhood say the Hunting Park Plaza on East Hunting Park Avenue is your average shopping center - great stores and great customers.
But when the sun sets..."Dirt bikes, cars, four-wheelers, Batman cars, you name it. Scooters, bikes, it doesn't matter. They come in big groups and this is where they party," said an employee who wishes to remain anonymous.
Nearby employees say for months people have been turning this parking lot at G Street and Hunting Park Avenue into a playground. Streaks show where the rubber rubbed against the asphalt.
"We're talking about over 50, maybe 80 people. Holidays are the worst," an employee said.
An employee who asked us not to show her face says she lives in the neighborhood.
For the revelers, this lot is the only place big enough to turn tricks. And Shocking images show they're not always outside.
"They're very disrespectful. They have driven inside our business," the employee said. "There's no respect whatsoever."
To stop these burnout marks from multiplying, the owners of the plaza put up barriers in hopes the parking lot would be less attractive to people who are not planning on shopping.
"These people are scaring our customers away. We're trying to fix things but this is not fixing it, we need to come together," the neighbor said.
Philadelphia City Council recently passed a bill making it illegal to ride dirt bikes on city streets. Mayor Jim Kenney still has to sign it.
By CBS3 reporter Jasmine Payoute.
