Posted on 03/10/2004 1:02:24 PM PST by writer33
The booming popularity of off-road vehicles has left laws stuck in the mud.
Idaho is now hoping to catch up and inject some order to its trails. A series of proposed rules would govern anything that motors across mud, sand, dirt or snow.
The changes largely have been sparked by the increasing number of four-wheelers. The number of these vehicles registered in Idaho has doubled since 1999 and now stands at 52,371, according to the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department.
"We need to be proactive here and establish what the rules of the road are going to be," said the agency's director, Rick Coolignon.
Last year, 12 people were killed on all-terrain vehicles in Idaho. Ten were not wearing helmets.
Currently, almost anything goes when it comes to off-road vehicle laws. There are no standards for helmets, safety education classes or a minimum age for users. There are few state penalties for motorized sports enthusiasts who ride in areas declared off-limits.
It's against the law, for instance, for a 13-year-old boy to drive a pickup truck down a dirt road. But there's nothing stopping the boy from zooming through a forest on the seat of a four-wheeler, even without a helmet or prior training.
The Idaho Parks and Recreation Department says a strategy is needed to deal with the growing use of off-road vehicles. Public hearings, including one Thursday in Coeur d'Alene, are being held statewide this month to gather ideas and feedback.
Between 1,000 and 1,500 surveys on the topic will also be sent to random households this summer.
The Parks and Recreation Department Board will consider the information and issue a set of draft rules in August. It will be up to the Legislature to make everything final.
Being considered is everything from age requirements to sound limits to a proposed "three strikes" rule that would revoke the off-road vehicle registration of repeat offenders. State officials have already decided that off-trail vehicle travel needs to be halted, Coolignon said. They also want to stop wide vehicles from traveling down narrow trails, he said.
Coolignon insisted the strategy will be more than just increasing restrictions. Along with the new regulations will come increased recognition of the need for clearly defined off-road recreation areas.
The majority of motorized sport enthusiasts "are out there trying to do it right," Coolignon said. "In all fairness to users, it's a little bit hard now to know if you're right or wrong."
Areas set aside for motorized vehicles are not always clearly marked with signs or on maps, Coolignon said. Many trails have been built for motorcycles but are not adequate for four-wheelers.
The talk of a statewide off-road vehicle strategy raises skepticism in Bill White, an Athol resident and the founder of the Backcountry ATV Association.
"I think they've got enough laws already," he said. "They don't need anymore."
Safety classes are already available at off-road vehicle dealerships, and helmet use is widely encouraged by experienced riders, White said. "If you're an adult, you should have the option to chose whether you wear a helmet or not."
White said he doesn't have a problem with certain trails being put off-limits to motorized vehicles, so long as new recreational opportunities are created. Currently, too many trails have been closed, he said.
White's group plans a parade on Coeur d'Alene's Kathleen Avenue at 10 a.m. Saturday, to protest trail closures.
Conservation groups think more needs to be done to protect wild places from off-road vehicles. John Robison, a biologist and public lands specialist with the Idaho Conservation League, compared the situation with smoking areas in restaurants.
Smokers don't mind sitting near nonsmokers, just as motorized sports enthusiasts don't mind sharing the trail with hikers, Robinson said. But the same isn't true in reverse.
"It's an epidemic," he said. "The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have yet to get a grip on the situation."
Federal agencies are working closely with the state of Idaho to develop a strategy. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth recently called off-road vehicles one of the four "great threats" to ecosystems.
Off-road vehicles and trail-sharing concerns have replaced logging as the flashpoint issue in the region's national forests, said Dave O'Brien, spokesman for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
The Forest Service is scrambling to find a way for everybody to roam peacefully, whether they use an internal-combustion engine or a pair of hiking boots. Updating state regulations will certainly help, O'Brien said.
"We're really in a catch-up mode," he said.
Man. You Idahoans are way behind. I can't believe you haven't regulated your trails yet. This is the twenty-first century. And I better not see any SUV's out there destroying the environment either. :) HA!
Oh my gosh...no! The very idea of a 13 year old having a little freedom just scares these folks to death.
Living in Idaho for the last seven years, I can say that most people allow morality and common sense to govern their actions, even in the back country...especially in the back country. It allows most of us to just pretty much ignore all the pols in the bigger cities like Boise.
But those folks apparently don't have enough to do so they, as the little overlords they view themselves as, have to make up stuff to save the rest of us from ourselves...according to their rules of course.
We are being beset by more and more of that type unfortunately as they move in to escape from so-called civilized liberal states where conditions are much much worse. Problem is, they bring their problems with them.
Yep, lotta Kali refugies doing the same here in Colo.
FReegards
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