Philadelphia law prohibits using any dirt bike or #ATV on city streets. This law has been in place for years, but it did not become a point of much contention until 2018. Police arrested around 20 people and seized about 30 vehicles during a demonstration in 2018.

October 14th, 2018, was the fourth anniversary of the late Kyrell "Dirt Bike Rell" Tyler's murder. To increase awareness of Tyler's still unsolved case and support his family, 1,000 enthusiasts rode their vehicles through the streets of Philadelphia en masse. Police put a stop to it by arresting people violating traffic laws. Some say that it was not the appropriate action for them to take, given the circumstances.

Dirtbikes and ATVs are unlawful to operate on public land, including parks and recreation facilities. Some people take issue with this ban and claim that it leaves youths, who often see street riders as akin to folk heroes, to find even more dangerous and unlawful means of escapism. Shea Evans, the founder of the Motocross Freestyle Streetriders Association (MxSFA), has said of his childhood in Harlem: "there was no place to release our stress. To ride bikes for four hours, not killing each other – that was the premise… no arguments, no gang violence." 

Many people have suggested that an ATV park would give Philadelphians a way to connect with the positive aspects of street bike culture without impeding the general public's safety. Some of the state's leaders appear to agree, as they have earmarked $56 million for the addition of three new state parks, one of which will be for offroad vehicles.

Other people disagree with spending money for this purpose and believe that the best approach is for police to crack down on the use of unauthorized vehicles. They cite safety concerns, including several injuries and deaths that have been caused by off-road vehicles. A task force formed in July of 2022 is focused on finding the optimal solution for this problem.

The question at hand: Should Philadelphia invest in an ATV park or increase its enforcement of local #StreetRacing laws?