Off-road vehicles spark noisy debate for rural Washington

[Steve]

Here is an article regarding proposed legislation that would allow ORVs to be driven on public roads. This article may be archived and not accessible in the future.

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[The Seattle Times] OLYMPIA — Some rural residents, describing noisy off-road-vehicles barreling down country lanes, are trying to head off a new proposal that could usher more of the machines onto city and county roads around Washington in a bid to promote tourism.

"This is like a creeping cancer, this ORV thing," Seattle resident John Coelhu complained to state lawmakers at a hearing Monday night.

Trying to boost tourism in small towns, state lawmakers in 2006 said thinly populated areas of the state could let off-road vehicles use designated local roads. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda.

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[Steve]

Here is another related article:

ATV enthusiasts, not machines, are the problem

Steve

[Jerry]

It is interesting how government reacts to the desires of the people. The greenies are getting millions of acres of new wilderness area, much of it unjustly because thousands of those acres are not pristine, not untouched by man, with existing roads, mines, gravel pits, etc, while ATV owners are asking for designated roads and trails within an already developed National Forest or BLM area. In Washington it is already legal to ride ATV's on dirt roads within state lands; I don't know about Oregon, Idaho or provincial lands in BC.

The U.S. Forest Service has been instructed to develop plans that include ATV's within each Ranger District, but the districts are taking up to five years to do so. Talk about slow reactions. Hence even law abiding owners of ATV's, grandpa's and grandma's, are venturing onto federal lands with their machines and are willing to pay the fine if they get caught.

Then there are the idiots. We always have the idiots, don't we? No matter where we go or what we do, we have to put up with the idiots. Idiots drive ATV's and idiots hike the Cascade Crest Trail. Idiots dump garbage at the end of Forest Service roads and idiots dump garbage on the Cascade Crest Trail. Idiots slide their ATV's around blind corners at excessive speeds and idiots slide their Honda Civics around blind corners at excessive speeds.

It is my opinion that the easiest way to inform young and impressionable idiots of "what is really cool" is to accept and follow the already established principals and programs of Tread Lightly and spread it around. Spread it thick. The way to deal with stupid idiots is to prosecute; and we can help in that regard. Carry a camera, take pictures of these nuts and turn them in. It's the cool thing to do.

In the meantime, do everything you can to hold and keep existing roads and trails for responsible motorized recreational enjoyment.
Jerry