British Columbia: Provincial off-road vehicle rules spur local reaction

by Jon Crowley on 01/12/09 at 7:41 am

Source: http://www.tumblerridgenews.com/story.php?id=204835

By Greg Amos, Staff Reporter

The rules will be phased in over the next two years, and starting in 2010, anyone buying a new or used ATV will be required to have it licensed, registered, and insured. The new rules will not apply on private property.

The province has been working on a set of rules for ATVs for the past six years. Provincial tourism minister Kevin Krueger said off-road vehicle groups, the public, and the province’s chief coroner have all brought issues forward. The Union of B.C. Municipalities, which represents the collective interest of local governments across B.C., has sent the province several resolutions concerning offroad vehicles over the last two years.

“There is a broad consensus that it is time for regulations,” said Krueger. “We have a common vision and a solid blueprint for action.”

The provincial rules will mean licensed ORV riders with basic insurance will be able to cross public roads more conveniently – a common frustration in Tumbler Ridge, where riders must walk their ATV or UTV across a road before reaching Crown land.

All off-road vehicle riders will also be required to wear helmets at all times and to use lights at night, and adult supervision will also be required for young riders, though no age limits have been specified yet. Higher standards for mufflers will be
required to reduce the noise impacts on wildlife, and spark arrestors will be required to reduce the risk of forest fires.

Having visible licenses on an offroad vehicle will make it possible for conservation officers, park rangers, and law enforcement to identify riders who are damaging sensitive wildlife areas, or to track stolen off-road vehicles, something which is almost impossible today.

“Now that this becomes a provincial issue, it gives the police a little more leeway,” said White. “Right now, the police have no jurisdiction over any violation off the highways. You can be driving down the path on Mackenzie at ninety kilometres per hour, and the police can’t do anything.”

The regulations may also be helpful to the local mines, who currently have no power to have police issue speeding tickets for ATV riders using their roads recklessly.

Local rider Gordon Graham said he supports the new regulations but takes issue with the requirement that parents will be forced to supervise children younger than a specified age, regardless of the experience their child has on an ATV.

“It’s a shame that the government has to step in and tell the parents what to do,” he said. “We need an education program before we need legislation.”

The provincial rules may serve as a catalyst to enact a long-planned local ATV bylaw, said councillor Doug Beale.

“An ATV bylaw will happen in the town eventually, and it’s something we’ve been working towards for many years,” he said. The District of Tumbler Ridge plans on modelling the bylaw on those that exist in other communities.

Getting a committee formed to look at the framework for a bylaw has resulted in a few false starts in the past, sometimes resulting in committees being stacked with people representing specific interest, he said.

“There are some people who’d like to see it disappear completely, and that’s not a solution either,” said Beale, who is an off-road vehicle user. “Safety is the priority – there are no seatbelts on ATVs.”

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