San Juan Bautista gets complaints on noisy bikers, city leaders said

For years motorcyclists have been making pit stops in the little town of San Juan Bautista. But now some city leaders say they may be over staying their welcome. The city says there have been complaints they are looking into. On Sunday, NewsChannel 5 spoke with a bar owner who relies on bikers for business.

“That’s probably 85 percent of my business. They bring a lot of revenue into the town,” Rhonda Roascio, owner of Mom and Pop’s Saloon said.

Roascio said the bar has been in her family for more than 30 years and bikers have always been welcome. But now they’re feeling the heat from city leaders.

“I know the city is upset with the noise from the bikes and this and that but these people also join us in the winter in their cars. So are we supposed to spit in their face in the summer because they choose to ride motorcycles? I’m not,” Roascio said.?

Last week, City Council discussed complaints about motorcycle noise, parking, and speeding on Third Street. Roascio feels those complaints are coming straight from the city, not residents.

“It’s kind of silly because everybody’s money is green. It’s revenue for the city and they don’t only just come to the bars the bikers they go to the ice cream shop, to the restaurants,” Roascio said.

City officials are talking about stricter enforcement for bikers on Third Street, to help alleviate some of the complaints. They are looking to address issues through regulations like monitoring motorcycle noise by purchasing a noise meter and limiting motorcycle parking to one bike per spot.

City staff are also looking at making sure people aren’t smoking within 20 feet of business entrances or blocking public sidewalks.

“The city complains they block the sidewalk and stuff but anybody walking by a simple excuse me gets you through any crowd,” Roascio said.

City manager Roger Grimsley said they’re trying to get bikers to respect and behave properly. He said if they speed or are exceeding the noise rating then they should be subject to a citation. Council members haven’t made any decisions yet on the complaints.