"ATV trail deal set to roll; Agreement would allow riders on some county trails "

Kelly Pottage
Barrie Examiner - Local News - Friday, June 01, 2007 @ 07:00

No motorized vehicles - that is what the sign said on Schumacher tract, the forested area in Oro-Medonte Township where a motorcyclist died this past weekend after colliding with another bike on a curve.

In fact, all Simcoe County forest trails have officially been off-limits to motorbikes and all-terrain vehicle riders since January. But that situation could change in the very near future.

Graeme Davis, County of Simcoe forester, said an agreement that would open up some designated trails to off-road riders with the right permits could be signed within the next two weeks.

The deal with the Ontario Federation of All-Terrain Vehicles (OFATV) and the Ontario Federation of Trail Riders (OFTR), which has been two years in the making, would include a permit system to use the trails, trail patrols, and a maintenance plan to upkeep trails and the forest.

Up until the beginning of the year, when a new county recreation policy prohibited riders from using the trails, both ATV and dirt-bike riders used the county forests freely.

"If you give people a place to ride legally, they will use those areas, as opposed to areas that clearly say no motorized vehicles allowed," said Penny Curtis, a member of OFATV, and the North Simcoe ATV club. " I know a lot of hard work was put into getting this agreement in place. Riders like me don't want people riding illegally or acting irresponsibly on the trails because it ruins all the good work that has been done in regard to the agreement.

And it ruins it for those of us who abide by the rules, and who are good ambassadors of the sport."

Ken Hoeverman, executive director of the OFTR, said his members will feel relieved after the agreement is in place.

"Stewardship works, banning doesn't," he said.

"Safety, education and law enforcement are the key factors to reducing noise and irresponsibility. Off-road motorcyclists have been using public forests for recreation since 1955 and have the best safety record compared to any other motorized activity."

He added that prior to the new recreation policy, dirt-bikers had free use of the Simcoe County forests, so it was a blow to OFTR members when the privilege was revoked.

"The idea of having those trails taken away came as a surprise to us, and some riders still don't know they aren't allowed to use the trails right now," he said.

"The process of working with the county to reach an agreement has been a very positive experience, and a lot of thought has been put into understanding and accommodating each stakeholder's viewpoint on the trail usage."

After the impending official sign-off from the county, work will begin to ensure the designated trails are not only suitable to ride on, but would include such things as proper signage, to increase the safety of the areas for riders.

In Simcoe County, four separate local riding clubs would be responsible for fulfilling the stewardship within the recreation policy.

The OFATV is anxiously waiting for the agreement to be signed. Like the OFTR membership, for years its members have also volunteered countless hours of their free time to put up signage on trails to improve safety, help with garbage clean-up, and to do trail maintenance.

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"ATV’s – A Friend to the Environment"

This letter is in response to “ATVs a nuisance to the environment”, written Friday, May 25, 2007 by Glenn Murray.

Unfortunately “ATVs a nuisance to the environment” has been written out of anger as opposed to fact. I can understand the publics concern and anger when it comes to ATV’s and their activities especially since the recent surge in ownership of the off road vehicle. Let’s start off with some facts on ATV’s.

ATV’s do not disturb the Environment. A new ATV equipped with four-stroke technology has lower emissions than most of our vehicles that are on the road today. ATV’s do not create mud holes on trails. These mud holes are created by natural contours on the trails that collect and hold water during the spring thaw or are the result of swollen creeks and ponds due to beaver damming. It only seems that ATV’s create them due to the fact of the tire marks entering and leaving the mud holes. ATV's also have very wide ballooning, low-pressure tires. These tires spread the machine weight over a wide area, exerting very little pounds per square inch. This makes the actual passage of the machine much easier on the trails.

Here are some examples:

OBJECT / POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH OF PRESSURE
Four-wheel drive truck: 30
Horse: 8
Man: 5
All Terrain Vehicle: 1.5
Snowmobile: 0.5

So as you can see, walking, hiking, and horseback riding are actually more damaging to the ground and environment than ATV’s are.

Properly maintained ATV’s do not pollute the Environment. ATV Manufactures are under strict guidelines to build these machines as environmentally friendly as possible. All ATV components are 100% sealed so no water or mud can get into components. Saying that, nothing can be released from them as well. So traveling through creeks and streams cause no adverse effects to our waterways. Natural erosion of riverbanks and creeks has been occurring since the beginning of time not since the beginning of the ATV.

So as you can see, ATV’s are not the problem, just people’s attitude toward them. I understand that there have been an increased number of complaints due to excessive speed and noise of ATV’s on roadways in our city. City Council, the Greater Sudbury Police Service and the OFATV (Ontario Federation of All Terrain Vehicles) have been working very closely to come up with bylaws that prevent this type of activity from happening and should be passed soon, providing city council’s approval.

Also, Sudbury ATV’s will soon be coming under the watchful eye of the OFATV (Ontario Federation of All Terrain Vehicles). The OFATV is huge down in Southern Ontario and is making its way up here. The OFATV is dedicated and committed to environmental issues, enforcement of regulations and bylaws, and creating a safe environment for both ATV users and the public. By creating, enhancing and designating an ATV trail network, the OFATV is giving ATV users a place to enjoy their recreation, and keep them away from areas where they shouldn't be. When a club develops a trail network, they can avoid sensitive areas, and educate ATV riders through training courses signage reading and interpretative mapping.

Banning ATV use in our City is not the answer. Not only will local dealerships suffer but the city’s economy and the tourism industry will suffer. There is a lot of employment attached to ATV use in our community. Putting people out of work has never been acceptable and should not be now.

Trevor Tario