upstate rider
01-21-2003, 02:58 AM
ATV abuses spark call for regulations
Legislator/farmer wants unregistered operators subject to a fine
By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer
First published: Wednesday, January 15, 2003
With the arrival of winter comes a growing number of snowmobilers and
ATV riders adventuring across fields.
While most snowmobilers and many ATV operators respect private property,
others cause trouble for farmers and other property owners who suffer
damage from inconsiderate operators.
Property owners say the problem is especially bad with all-terrain
vehicles, but ATV enthusiasts say that stems from the lack of a public
system of trails for ATVs, similar to the network of snowmobile trails.
Rensselaer County Legislator Ed Swartz is seeking tougher rules for ATV
operators. He wants to implement a county fine for improper use of an
ATV and for operating an unregistered ATV.
Regulating ATV operators could have the same impact that rules imposed
on snowmobilers has had: make them more responsible, he said.
"The snowmobilers I know haven't had so much of a problem since the
1970s when the clubs were set up," he said. "On the other hand,
four-wheelers tend to tear up the ground a little more."
Swartz said people ride across his dairy farm daily. He allows them on
some parts, but posts signs prohibiting the vehicles in areas where his
farm would be damaged.
Still, he said, some riders ignore the signs and run roughshod over his
land. When they do, Swartz said, he doesn't hesitate to prosecute.
"When I do have a confrontation, I try to have it followed through to
the point where the machine is confiscated," he said. "I'm trying to do
a high fine, so it doesn't affect those people who are registered and
use their machines properly. It affects the renegades and
troublemakers."
George Mesick, owner of Gem Farms in Castleton, said some snowmobilers
use his property, but the ATV riders are more frequent and do more
damage.
"We'd probably give some people permission if they'd ask correctly but
nobody ever asks for permission," he said. Mesick -- who raises cows and
buffalo -- said the riders have killed portions of his hay field,
leaving a path off Van Hoesen Road.
He loses hundreds of dollars of hay annually as a result. "We had one
group two years ago went through one 12-acre hay field and really ruined
it," he said.
Since snowmobiles must be registered and have visible license numbers,
he said, they are less commonly ridden onto private property.
"The ATVs are much more destructive than the snowmobiles," he said. "In
fact, we have given permission for a snowmobile club, and they are very
respectful."
Alex Ernst, spokesman for the New York State Off-Highway Recreational
Vehicle Association, said $20 out of the $25 registration fee
snowmobilers pay goes into maintaining routes and providing insurance
for their trails. ATV riders are required to pay a $10 registration fee
-- but all of the money goes into the state's general fund.
"The snowmobile travel system is 90 percent on private property, but it
is permitted and they do have insurance. Those trails are put on a map.
They help people know where they can go and ride legally," Ernst said.
Robert Bryant, Saratoga county director for the New York State
Snowmobile Association, said snowmobilers were once considered
troublemakers.
"The snowmobilers tended to be renegades years ago," he said. "Then we
got organized."
Today, clubs like the Charlton Snowmobile Association, of which Bryant
is president, teach members to respect others' land.
"We make sure they all get a map when they join our club, so they know
where the trails are," he said, and new members are taken out for an
initial ride. "We try to make sure everyone knows where the trail is."
Members now know that if they fail to respect property, they put at risk
the almost 9,000 miles of snowmobile trails in New York state. "People
know if they don't behave, the trail gets closed," he said. It happened
for a while last year on 150 miles of trails in Charlton.
The state has 150,000 registered snowmobilers and an equal number of
registered ATVs. But based on sales data, Ernst said, another 150,000
ATVs are not registered [misquoted, correction: 100k registered, 200k
not- Alex]. In Rensselaer County, there are 1,359 registered ATVs and
2,106 registered snowmobiles, said Joe Picchi, spokesman for the state
Department of Motor Vehicles.
But Ernst said paying the registration fee provides no benefit to ATV
riders.
"By registering your ATV, you get no access to any trail system," he
said. "When people have a place they know they are allowed to ride, they
are going to take that route, the path of least resistance. This could
be one of the solutions, developing a trail system that people know
where it is."
Legislator/farmer wants unregistered operators subject to a fine
By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer
First published: Wednesday, January 15, 2003
With the arrival of winter comes a growing number of snowmobilers and
ATV riders adventuring across fields.
While most snowmobilers and many ATV operators respect private property,
others cause trouble for farmers and other property owners who suffer
damage from inconsiderate operators.
Property owners say the problem is especially bad with all-terrain
vehicles, but ATV enthusiasts say that stems from the lack of a public
system of trails for ATVs, similar to the network of snowmobile trails.
Rensselaer County Legislator Ed Swartz is seeking tougher rules for ATV
operators. He wants to implement a county fine for improper use of an
ATV and for operating an unregistered ATV.
Regulating ATV operators could have the same impact that rules imposed
on snowmobilers has had: make them more responsible, he said.
"The snowmobilers I know haven't had so much of a problem since the
1970s when the clubs were set up," he said. "On the other hand,
four-wheelers tend to tear up the ground a little more."
Swartz said people ride across his dairy farm daily. He allows them on
some parts, but posts signs prohibiting the vehicles in areas where his
farm would be damaged.
Still, he said, some riders ignore the signs and run roughshod over his
land. When they do, Swartz said, he doesn't hesitate to prosecute.
"When I do have a confrontation, I try to have it followed through to
the point where the machine is confiscated," he said. "I'm trying to do
a high fine, so it doesn't affect those people who are registered and
use their machines properly. It affects the renegades and
troublemakers."
George Mesick, owner of Gem Farms in Castleton, said some snowmobilers
use his property, but the ATV riders are more frequent and do more
damage.
"We'd probably give some people permission if they'd ask correctly but
nobody ever asks for permission," he said. Mesick -- who raises cows and
buffalo -- said the riders have killed portions of his hay field,
leaving a path off Van Hoesen Road.
He loses hundreds of dollars of hay annually as a result. "We had one
group two years ago went through one 12-acre hay field and really ruined
it," he said.
Since snowmobiles must be registered and have visible license numbers,
he said, they are less commonly ridden onto private property.
"The ATVs are much more destructive than the snowmobiles," he said. "In
fact, we have given permission for a snowmobile club, and they are very
respectful."
Alex Ernst, spokesman for the New York State Off-Highway Recreational
Vehicle Association, said $20 out of the $25 registration fee
snowmobilers pay goes into maintaining routes and providing insurance
for their trails. ATV riders are required to pay a $10 registration fee
-- but all of the money goes into the state's general fund.
"The snowmobile travel system is 90 percent on private property, but it
is permitted and they do have insurance. Those trails are put on a map.
They help people know where they can go and ride legally," Ernst said.
Robert Bryant, Saratoga county director for the New York State
Snowmobile Association, said snowmobilers were once considered
troublemakers.
"The snowmobilers tended to be renegades years ago," he said. "Then we
got organized."
Today, clubs like the Charlton Snowmobile Association, of which Bryant
is president, teach members to respect others' land.
"We make sure they all get a map when they join our club, so they know
where the trails are," he said, and new members are taken out for an
initial ride. "We try to make sure everyone knows where the trail is."
Members now know that if they fail to respect property, they put at risk
the almost 9,000 miles of snowmobile trails in New York state. "People
know if they don't behave, the trail gets closed," he said. It happened
for a while last year on 150 miles of trails in Charlton.
The state has 150,000 registered snowmobilers and an equal number of
registered ATVs. But based on sales data, Ernst said, another 150,000
ATVs are not registered [misquoted, correction: 100k registered, 200k
not- Alex]. In Rensselaer County, there are 1,359 registered ATVs and
2,106 registered snowmobiles, said Joe Picchi, spokesman for the state
Department of Motor Vehicles.
But Ernst said paying the registration fee provides no benefit to ATV
riders.
"By registering your ATV, you get no access to any trail system," he
said. "When people have a place they know they are allowed to ride, they
are going to take that route, the path of least resistance. This could
be one of the solutions, developing a trail system that people know
where it is."