In an open letter addressed to the Commissioner of Police Michael Matthews and Governor Augustus Jaspert, Smith said the disturbance has been ongoing for the last two months.

She said it typically begins at 6 pm and lasts until midnight daily.

“… Sad to say motorbikers (unemployed) who have obviously removed the mufflers from bikes with the result that there is an unbearable assault on the ears of residents of Road Town and McNamara along Road Town to Sea Cow’s Bay drive, daily for this extended period of time,” Smith stated in the letter.

She further told authorities that she has written several letters on the issue in the past.

“I have been promised that a long term solution is in the making, but this matter has gotten only worse as bikers — many unlicensed, without helmets and other appropriate gear — continue to race up and down our streets without let or hindrance, pop a wheeling in the middle of traffic as I have said to you before until the early hours of the morning.”

It is wrong

Smith, who owns LGS & Associates which is located in the disturbed areas, said the situation is not right and rebuked the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force for allowing the disturbance to continue.

“[It] shows a complete abdication of responsibility by the police for law and order. I personally am forced to telephone every night at 11:30 pm asking for some assistance in ending the racket, but surely the police can at least bring an end to the noise nuisance that is created without having to be prompted to do so,” she argued.

Smith then pleaded for an end to the noise nuisance, which she said is also affecting the entire territory and its visitors.

Larger bikes now permitted

Her letter comes at a time when the Andrew Fahie administration announced that motorcycles with engine capacities that are more than 125 cubic centimetres (CC) will now be allowed into the territory.

The conditions that must be imposed to facilitate larger engine motorcycles into the territory include a revamp of the Department of Motor Vehicle’s old licensing process for motorcycles. The process will now be a three-prong licensing regime comprising compulsory basic training for every motorcycle rider, theoretical testing, and full rider testing.

Premier Fahie has also said his government has plans to turn drag racing into an official sport in the BVI. He said his government will begin its search for a designated area where the motorsport can be done freely.