 ATV Abuse
ATVs, Dirt-Bikes and 4WD Trucks
ATV
abuse is a very serious problem in Shelton on both public and private property,
as well as on City streets. Property is being destroyed and
the quality of life for our residents is being compromised, largely due to a
minority of so-called parents who buy their teenage boys these toys without
caring about the other people who live nearby.
Enforcement is very difficult because these boys know
they can run away from the police and the police are not allowed to
chase them. Frustration levels are very high on the part of
property owners, city officials and the police because these children,
enabled by their parents, openly flaunt the law, and they usually get
away with it. Children are learning that it's OK to break
the law, disturb the peace, destroy property, and run from the police.
Be a parent. Teach values: Respect the law,
respect the Police, respect property and respect other people.
Never ride anywhere unless you know for a fact the property owner wants
you there.
Parents who don't care about other people in the city,
the lack of values they are teaching their children, or the fact that
their child could get killed riding in the street, might at least
consider the following penalties if their child is caught by police, and
since these kids have been thumbing their nose at the police for years
they shouldn't be surprised when the book is thrown at them:
The Town of South Windsor Police Department has compiled
this list of
potential violations that off-roaders may be charged with, and the
associated penalties. In addition, the fine for riding on Public
Open Space is $100.
In 2006, the City of Shelton initiated "Operation Safe
Trails", which includes increased enforcement efforts and additional
signage and gates to discourage illegal ATV use on the trails.
Some ATVers
claim that they only ride on our trails because they have nowhere legal to ride
in Connecticut. That's just an excuse. There IS somewhere legal to ride dirt bikes in Connecticut (Pauchaug
State Forest), but we still have lots of those on the trails.
Massachussetts has several places for ATVs to ride, yet they have just as much
trouble with ATV abuse as everyone else. Some parents find
it convenient when their child just goes "out back" with the ATV or dirt
bike and so they delude themselves into thinking nobody cares.
This washout along the powerlines at Shelton Lakes is 3-4 feet deep, thanks
to the illegal use of off-road vehicles. The soil has washed into the stream below, and
the footing is treacherous for hikers and the Shelton High School Cross Country team, who
use the trail for practice. |
ORVs are banned
on City Public Open Space for
the following reasons:
1. They disturb the peace.
One kid on an ATV going up the powerlines can shatter the solitude of 30 hikers and
bikers. People hike and bike on public open space in order to get away from the
noise of traffic and machinery.
 2. They
vandalize and destroy public property. ORVs do serious damage to our trails by
chewing up the earth and creating mud holes. ATVs widen the trail tread to four or
five feet in width. Users have created their own personal trails through the woods without
permission. Some ATVers are also "at war" with our hard-working
trail volunteers because they feel entitled to the area. For several years ATVers have
destroyed every accessible sign and cairn ever built by our volunteers to help guide
hikers (the sign post at left once held a handmade sign - for just one week before it was
ripped off the post). It is easy to tell the vandalism was by ATVers because their
ATVs create quite a disturbance on the ground around the site. Moreover, they use
their ATVs to pull out heavy signs or ram cairns.
3. They create a safety hazard
to hikers and bikers.
4. There is an inherent danger
in using ATVs, and property owners, including the City of Shelton, do not want to be held
liable for any injuries occurring on their property.
Where ATVs go, vandalism soon follows |
Here's the kind of email I've
been getting from the type of people who ride on other people's property, even when they
know they are unwanted and that they are breaking the law. Nearly all the email I
get from them is just like the following (must be kids):
"We
will continue to ruin your trails if you don't make a place for us to ride. You can't
catch us all." - LimpRyan14@aol.com
"The thing that discusts
me most about your site is that you stereotype all offroad riders not just the ones
tearing up your hiking trails. I too have torn up some hiking trails ard removed some
signs. I did not do this until my right to ride was threatened. The more you
enviromentalists bitch and whine and call the cops the more fun and exiting it is for us
thrill seekers. maybe you just need to get on a motorcycle to understand. or maybe if you
just looked at it from our side. Until your state realizes offroading is good for the
economy and the fastest growing leisure activity and sets aside some land ,keep eating
dust. oh ya pound those signs back in its fun to run em over and piss you people off" Wrconceptz@aol.com
"hate is the worst
thing in this world. beocuse if peopel like you who bitch about every little thing make me
hate you.
all we want is a place to have fun. the more you complain the worse were gonna be. Why not
put something together so we can ride legaly? hey, at least were not out selling crack, were only having fun
liek kids are soposed to do." MiFLiGTi@aol.com
"You have to be the most
disrespectfull whore i have ever heard of. You must have some social issues. If u have a
problem with the usage of atv's and dirtbikes on public property, u have issues with every
atv and dirtbke rider in the nation. Maybe your taxpayers should put a litte money asde
for some legal riding land instead of buying there new ferraris or vipers. get some common
sense. we have no where to ride, exept illegal areas and your front lawn. if the bulldozer
are in the picture, can't they fix the trails and prevent them from breaking, im sure
7,000,000 is enough money to get some maintenance done, and a face lift/ nose job for your
busted skank ass. get some friends u underated whore. crack kills....."
Jordan Rancourt supafly694u@yahoo.com
"Please excuse my grammatical errors when reading
this e-mail has i do have two degrees which i guesss has nothing on the imbreed
homeschooling either your mother or your auntgave to you since they are the same person.
I suggest to you that instead of worrying
about some backwoods ORV people you take the time to inform yourself that a lot of them
are well educated. I am from idaho where we have numerous land specifically designed for
atv and dirtbikers. Why? so people like you don't have to miss church to stay around and
argue about how the horses they used to cuddle up to are not spooked anymore piss
off" - (name deleted at request of very nice parents)
" you should leave this kids
alone.would u rather them sell drugs or have fun and ride there atvs. and then for u to
call them self centered and you think that every one dosent want these kids haveing fun.
you should have a town vote to decide if you should leave this kids alone or buil them a
track. then you stereotype them bye makeing that web site and saying that every atver
destroys and tears up trails and your preicuos signs.i say LEAVE THE KIDS ALONE. maybe if
u had a life or knew how to have fun you would buy a quad and quit your bitching."
- GaryColemanLvr@aol.com
"u
people r stupid let people ride were ever they want" - BMXurMAT14@cs.com
"you know that every time a kid in this town finds a way to stay off drugs
and out of trouble the city decides to take that away from us. they bulldozed the bike
jumps 5 times in one summer, and then when we video taped the mayor there he said that
private boat ramp owners had it done and the space where the jumps where is public open
space. and what is PUBLIC OPEN SPACE if the public ( all of us residents are the public)
and you decide to restrict who can use these spaces. so i think you all need to leave the
kids and open space alone. please tell me where your front yard is, id love
to spin my tires all over it. the point of public open space is for
the public, not the city to say only some, not all, can use." - Sin024@aol.com
"let me tell you,
once a kid gets a bike or quad, he wont stop because his neighbor is complaning, or
someone from the city says something negative about them, the only way is to build a local
track for them to ride. that is the only solution for this problem and of course you
people wont do anything. it is plain and simple build a track and stop the complaning." - ALASBIGZ24@aol.com
 This Iroquois gas marker was ripped out of the ground and thrown aside
along an illegal route used by kids on ATVs and dirt bikes. |
I'm always struck by the consistently
anti-social and self-centered tone of the letters I get from ATVers. We trail
volunteers spend a great deal of time and effort trying to improve recreational
opportunities not for ourselves, but for the entire town. We don't get paid for it
and most of us are really busy people with families. We go out of our way to try and
include as many types of uses as possible, such as mountain bikes, horses, rollerblades,
education and wheelchairs. I'm amazed at these ATVers who think the entire city of
35,000 or so people should cater to their individual wishes, as if the world revolves
around ATVers. These individuals tear up our trails, destroy our signs, and make threats
to trail volunteers. They have no respect for other people and only care about
themselves.
If you find ATVs or dirt bikes out on the
trail, here is what
you can do to help:
1. If you see an ATVer,
stop them and tell them they are not allowed on public property.
2. If you have a cell phone
with you, call the police.
3. If you know someone who
owns an ATV in the vicinity, tell them about the problems we have been having. Let
parents know that kids have been a problem. It might be THEIR kids. Give
them a printout of this webpage. Let them know that I plan to start carrying my
camera and will publish any pictures I take of ATVers on my web site. If they don't
want a picture of their kid on my webpage, then keep them off of public property!
4. If you know of someone who
continues to ride on public open space or Land Trust property, tell us about it.
For more information:
Report of Educational
Suggestions for “ATV SOLUTIONS”
ORVs are Damaging Utah's Last Remaining Wild Lands
Assault on Fish Lake
Off-Road Vehicles: A Growing Threat to Public Lands
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