SAN ANTONIO — It is a thrill-seekers sight.
Motorbikes of all varieties can be seen rallying around east-side streets most weekends.
Police are aware of the takeovers, but the neighbors say so far, there hasn't been much in the way of visible enforcement of traffic laws.
Fred lives nearby and didn't want his full name used for fear of retaliation.
"It's dangerous. They are all over weaving, doing wheelies. I just pull over and let them pass because I don't know what's going to happen," Fred said.
"I know a lot of my neighbors are quite upset and annoyed about it, so to me, it would be nice if it stopped because it's dangerous for all the neighbors," Fred said. "There are 20 or more of them. It's like a whole pack of them will come and it's every weekend, but Sunday for sure."
Fred says the riders have a circuit that they ride, circling the area for a couple of hours each session.
Trish lives nearby as well. Trish said, "I'm concerned about someone getting hurt, not just them but someone else. It's bound to happen sooner or later."
Trish believes many of the vehicles are not street legal so she wonders why enforcement of basic traffic rules isn't being enforced.
"Everybody knows that it's every weekend so it seems like it would be easy to stop," Trish said.
She also has concerns about the ages of some of the riders.
"A lot of them look to be underaged to me so I don't know if their parents don't know what they're doing," Trish said. "There are some that look older and it makes you think 'I know you know better than that!'"
"They could get killed! They could do this in front of a car and have a crash that really harms someone," Trish said.
Last Saturday, the riders were spotted doing extended wheelies on Gembler Road.
At the intersection of Frost Bank Center Drive, the group of about one dozen riders made a left turn on the red light, after stopping.
Approaching East Houston, the group surrounded drivers waiting at the red light and took the right turn.
A westbound San Antonio Police Officer got caught up in the middle of the pack as they traveled toward downtown. The officer followed the group for a few blocks but turned away without any kind of enforcement action as the group headed south on New Braunfels Avenue.
We asked the San Antonio Police Department for an interview on this topic. We got a two sentence statement in reply:
"We encourage all cyclists to abide by all traffic laws. If anyone in their neighborhoods see cyclists taking over roadways they are encouraged to call the non-emergency line to report the activity; as well as report the activity to their local SAFFE officer so they can follow up with the problem in their neighborhood."
See more information on the East SAFFE program here.