A town next to mine just adopted a new ordinance that seriously restricts ATV usage in the borough. According to the ordinance, anyone operating an atv on any public street (this includes the simple act of crossing a street from a path and goes against the ¼ mile rule for registered atv’s in the state of PA – it states that any registered atv can traverse public roads for up to one ¼ mile as long as they obey speed limits and traffic rules.). Any way the fine for getting caught is $300-$600 and/or 90 days in jail plus they take your atv. All this because some riders like to rip down streets that little kids are playing on, speed down roads, refuse to stop for officers that were giving out warnings and informing them of the rules for public road usage on an atv, and younger riders running over cops legs trying to escape from beer parties. Now on that last one, any cop who gets in front of a quad that’s rip’n down a path toward them need his head examined. But still, I just think that we as riders should put out some good examples so these kinds of ordinances don’t end up common place.
What do the rest of you think?

 

I agree. It is fools like those who are helping that anti - atv group (the one that got 3 wheelers banned in the 80's) take our atv's away. If you see them acting like that (trying to run over old ladies) call the cops on 'em - maybe he'll take theirs away so they can't ruin it for the rest of us.

 

I hate to read posts like this because it makes me sick. That's why people have to support their local ATV clubs and they have to show a good image to the public. If I see anyone that is in a public place acting like and idoit I will go and talk to that individual and report them and when I report them I make it very clear that I'm an atver that's acting resposible which the RCMP here like to hear then I tell them about that individual and the nice thing about when I report them too is I can basically discribe all details about a quad because I know ATvs it's not like an person say oh an ATV just went down the middle of the road.... colour? make? etc...

 

ya my town just did that. we have the cross canada railway cutting by our town and they ripped out the tracks due to the train transport going down. now it is a recreational path. you canonly drive across town east and west to get to it.you have to drive the length of town on it. i cant even drive on the highway to get to it.the ditch sucks. buty look at it this way. do you think a cop can catch you on an atv. my friends on their dirt bikes got signaled to pull over once for kat walking on the road at like 40 miles and they just booked it through a field and ito some trails. the cop just stood there.

 

This has been a state law in missouri for a long time now. We dont have a 1/4 mile law (you cant do it at all) alot of small towns look the other way but if a state trooper see it you are in trouble. They get you for about 4 different things.

 

You know, I bet the same group of people that hate ATVs are the same people that hate guns, hug trees and are the greenpeace, pollution freaks, SUV-hatin' bunch that gets shuttled around in their LIMOs - getting FAR LESS gas mileage than ANY SUV on the planet. They preach clean air, and no SUVs but what about their LIMOs? Hows 5-8mpg sound? Yeah, they are a hypocryte to their own cause.
And they get out of their LIMOs with...WHAT - BODYGUARDS that carry..WHAT... GUNS!!! Oh yeah, they want protection for themselves...But they think law abiding citizens are a danger to society and shouldnt have guns.
Before every totalitarian (butthole) goverment in history, the peoples weapons and rights were slowly taken from them. Look at Stalin (USSR), Hitler (Germany), Hussein (Iraq). They passed laws and stirpped the people of their guns so no resistance would be had. not sying we ae on the verge of that. But we should all ban together and not let them get quads like they got 3 wheelers. We need to BAN TOGETHER rather than GET BANNED. Get in a club, join the ATVA and anything else you can. With 700,000 NEW ATVs sold last year, we are a voice FAR greater than motercyclists (more killed/hurt per year than ATVs) and dirtbikes (ditto). Let's rise up and be heard!

Then the CSPC (the people that got 3wheelers banned) wants to holler ATVs are dangerous..blah blah blah. Well, I halfway agree with them. There sould be more training on a ATVs- but dont ban them because some people were idiots and got hurt. A car could hurt you. I bet its safe to say that cars kill more people and hurt more people than ATVs. So lets ban cars!!! THey hurt people. They must be banned! I cut myself on paper.. Lets ban paper!!! I got ink in my mouth the other day... Lets BAN INK and INK pens!!! Screw them - we dont need pens!!!!!!

Now iM for reducing pollution for all (not by taking cars or SUVs away) and restricting guns to CRIMINALS, but not to good citizens. I think ATV training should be a must for inexperienced riders. I had the priveledge of growing up around motorcycles, 3wheelers , dirtbikes and quads so i had family to teach me how to ride. But others may not have had that. The parents and dealers should take a little bit more responsibilty in ATV training. That would cut down on alot of stupid crap and make people better riders.
ATV riding for short distances on low traffic roads should be permitted. Look at tractors. They are slow and heavy. You hit one of them and your car is totalled!

 

AMEN!! the only people against guns, ATVs, and SUVs are the people that dont have them. I have lots of guns and always will, but I have never hurt anyone and never spent a minute in jail. The day I commit a crime take my guns from me, but until then leave me alone.

 

yeah we cant ride at all on public roads in Oregon. it's a warning and/or a ticket, depending on how diplomatic you are.

 

kybabyn:
I would read a little closer even in this fourm.... Don't promote this kind of trouble because it will find you in matter of time. I would take the long term approach over the short tem. Mark my words (maybe in 40 years) that if a town has problems with ATVers it will address it ie. cutting ATVS off of the "recreational path" etc.. Now if you and all your friends and got everyone else around to drive responsible and you drive responsible who knows maybe you would have more leway on the side of the law. If you want to play kat walk etc. go find an unpopulated area PLEASE!!! Ask Nova 650 why ATVers are not allowed on the adbondand railbed in the town of Bridgewater.... You want to add JESSUP to that stat? As far as I'm concerned driving an atv is a privilage and you need to work on that to keep your trails open.... if not you are playing with a load gun. and it's acts like what I read in your post that will prevent me from being able to ride from Nova Scotia accross Canada that really pi$$ me off. I would if I was you go and talk to your so-called friend and if he doesn't listen to you in the long run when your trails are all cut off it will hurt you and friends don't hurt friends so that point I would question if that friend is a friend and report him with a good discription.. He will smarten up quick believe me.

 

WOW! And you wonder why they want to take the atv's away. This is why! At least from a cops prospective. I am fortunate to live in a town where very few people like this live. We have some of the best ATV laws in the nation, and I believe it is because most very one respects the traffic laws, when on the atv's. If we had problems with people running from us all the time, which we don't, I would be the first to say shut it down. Fortunately we don't. 99% of the time I don't even pay attention to the atv's on the street. It is the 1% of idiots that will get it shut down for the rest of us. What we need are better idiot laws, not atv laws.