“I was lucky not to be killed” – Kirkcaldy man tells of being knocked down by illegal dirt bike

A Kirkcaldy man who was mowed down and injured by an illegally driven dirt bike near to the town’s crematorium four years ago is backing a call for action as the issue rears its head again.

Gary with his dogs at the spot where he was run over. Pic by FPA

Gary Maxwell (56) and his wife Jan were walking their two dogs in the woods at Johnny Marshall’s Loan when two dirt bikes roared past them.

Gary shouted at them as they approached the crem.

One turned his bike and drove straight at him, doing a wheelie and hitting him.

Quad bikes at Dunnikier Park.

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The impact sent him flying onto the road. Gary got to his feet and ran at his assailant who had fallen from his bike, landing several punches. The man drove off leaving him bleeding.

Police and an ambulance arrived and treated Gary for broken leg and fingers as well as cuts and bruises, but investigations failed to identify the biker.

Gary, along with others, contacted the Press following our story last week about residents in the town being continually plagued by the menace of quad and dirt bikes, to add their voices to the call for more action to be taken.

Gary said: “The problem has never gone away and it’s all over Kirkcaldy.

“The bikes cut out in front of cars on Dunnikier Way and head off down Middle Den where families go to walk their dogs – they just don’t care for anyone’s safety.

“I know I was lucky not to have been seriously injured, or even killed, that day. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt by these idiots.

“If they put CCTV cameras outside the crem, the police would be able to identify the bikes.”

Reader Janie Smith said quad bikes regularly speed around the football pitches and skateboard ramp at Dunnikier Park, where youngsters play.

“We’ve seen them at the same time the last two Sundays, so this could be a regular pattern which the police could investigate,” she said.

Police in Fife launched Operation Fireblade in 2015 to target anti-social bike behaviour.

This was relaunched the following year. It now operates across Fife as Operation Reflector.

Sergeant Jimmy Adamson from Kirkcaldy said: “Over the last four years we have implemented a number of successful initiatives aimed at curbing the anti-social use of motorbikes in Kirkcaldy as we recognise the concerns raised on this issue by our local communities.

“Year on year the situation has improved. However recently we have experienced a slight increase in the number of calls reporting this sort of behaviour.

“Officers continue to target the areas where we have seen this rise in reports.

“The public can assist us by submitting any footage of this type of behaviour, or any information on individuals involved in this form of criminality, to officers at your local police station or by calling 101.”