Pennsylvania

World-class cities striving to attract tourists, jobs, and families don't tolerate gangs whizzing illegally along Center City streets on all-terrain vehicles like those spotted near Independence Mall recently.

Two other high-profile ATV incidents in Philadelphia - one involving a Kensington motorist seriously injured by bikers - further underscore the dangers posed by these hoodlums.

Brendan Purves

Like many local municipalities, Hilltown Township is looking into creating an ATV ordinance, and just like in their neighboring communities, there are plenty of residents with an opinion.

At the Monday, Sept. 28 Hilltown Board of Supervisors meeting, residents for and against ATV control in the township came out in force to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed ATV ordinance, giving the board of supervisors a lot to think about before a final draft of the ordinance can be completed. 

Melissa Dribben

Peace and quiet rarely visit Kensington.

In one of the city's poorest neighborhoods, cars rumble down narrow streets with rap and salsa booming through open windows. Tidy rowhouses struggle to maintain their dignity, despite sharing walls with abandoned wrecks. Families simulate suburban backyard life, setting up lawn chairs and swings and outdoor grills on tiny front porches enclosed like bird cages with curved, close-set, white iron bars.

Marcus Schneck

Those guys who pep per signs with shot gun blasts, trail their litter behind them like obscene bread crumbs and drive their off-road vehicles wherever they darn well please are shooting all the rest of us in our collective foot.

All considerate, law-abiding hunters and shooters know the damage those yahoos are doing to our sports.

I work at a charter school in Kensington, and every day I fear for the safety of our children during dismissal. To make matters worse, an ATV dealer just opened a shop on the corner of Kensington and York - literally one block from our school.

Kelly Martin

The board and community are also still at odds over how far riders must stay from a property line.

North Whitehall supervisors have again held off on adopting an ordinance on recreational vehicles so they have time to consider township residents' opinions.

Dana DiFilippo

Most neighborhoods have some nuisance that residents curse but can't cast out - rowdy bars, corner thugs, parking scofflaws.

In Kensington, it's all-terrain vehicles.

Allison Steele

A 29-year-old Philadelphia man remained in critical condition yesterday after he was run over repeatedly Monday night by a group of males on ATVs in Kensington.

Police still were trying to identify the all-terrain-vehicle riders who argued with the man, caused him to crash his car, and then attacked him.

Peter Mucha

An encounter with a group of males on all-terrain vehicles turned into a nightmare last evening for a motorist in Kensington.

The driver, 29, a Philadelphia man, wound up in critical condition at Temple University Hospital after being run over repeatedly by some of the vehicles, which were ridden by eight to 10 males, according to police.