Joliet will consider a new law aimed at keeping off-road vehicles off city streets.
Police Chief William Evans presented a proposal to the City Council that he said has been put to use in Kankakee to address the issue of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles traveling in groups and illegally.
“They’ve been able to successfully discourage off-road vehicles in their town,” Evans told the council Tuesday.
Evans said Kankakee has a city ordinance making it illegal to put gas from the pump directly into off-road vehicles.
“We would like you at this time to consider mirroring the same type of ordinance that was done in Kankakee,” Evans told the council.
The law could apply to both customers buying gas and gas stations selling it to customers pumping it into off-road vehicles at the stations.
The City Council will work on the Joliet ordinance.
Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said council members are looking for new measures to deal with groups of ATV and dirt bike riders cruising city streets.
One of those is council member Joe Clement.
“They’re terrorizing the neighborhoods and the streets,” Clement said at the council meeting.
Clement is a member of the council’s Public Safety and Land Use and Legislative committees. One or both of those may review a Joliet ordinance similar to the one Evans said now exists in Kankakee.
Evans said Joliet police are looking at other measures to address the issue. He said the police traffic unit and Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team have been looking into the matter.
Council members aren’t the only ones calling police about the issue.
“We’ve had some complaints from the public, as well,” Evans said.
It’s already illegal to drive off-road vehicles on city streets.