A bit of History 

Something to think about:

Something that comes into play here is the Off-Road Vehicle Act, under which riders must have a valid driver’s license to cross a highway.

No ATV Rider is allowed to carry a passenger on his ATV while crossing a Highway.

There are many places that we are not allowed to operate our machines: parks and playgrounds, school grounds and cemeteries, golf courses, road shoulders, utility corridors, and private property without the landowner’s permission. Most of all these are common sense and some are for insurance purposes only. We urge all riders to respect landowner’s rights.

One of the principle objections to ATV’s is the use on urban streets. In many cases this is being done by under-age riders, and at excessive speed. They pose a danger to pedestrians, to children, and to themselves.

Some adult urban riders simply want to travel short distances through the urban areas to access the rural trails. While we can sympathize with riders who keep their speed down and observe all traffic laws, we must recognize that what they are doing is illegal. Perhaps by being courteous they may be tolerated; but there are no guarantees.

Another part of this is the lack of respect for homeowners, who often find their lawns and driveways torn up by inconsiderate riders. Sometimes a word to the wise is all that is necessary, in other cases, law enforcement is a must. When enforcement becomes necessary, we suffer.

ATV’s are allowed to travel the non-developed area of the highway right of way (the ditch) in either direction during daylight hours, but only with traffic during hours of darkness.

In some cases this conflicts with landowners who landscape to the shoulder of the road. The operator may be forced onto the shoulder to avoid these short sections. It is still against the law.

Even on the trails, courtesy should be the norm. We share the trail with hikers, cross country skiers, mountain-bikers, pedestrians and etc. We must be prepared at all times to yield, or even come to a stop. In the case of horses it is recommended we remove our helmets so as not to spook the animal. Always be prepared to render assistance to others on the trail.

Puddles are a problem on many trails. Speeding machines cause erosion through wave action, deepening the puddles and spreading the damage. It also makes us unpopular with others who share the trails.

Speed also causes damage to bridges. Doubling your speed puts four times the stress on decking. Please reduce your speed on bridges and in wet areas.

One area of dispute is the Parks & Protected Areas. When that legislation was introduced it stated that pre-established roads and trails would be recognized. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Many long established roads have been closed to all but foot traffic; even berry-picking is discouraged.

The legislation also pledged that each area would have a Use Plan developed in cooperation with local residents. Only two of the thirty-one areas have been done so far.

While traditional hunting and angling rights are honored it is illegal to remove anything living or dead, flora or fauna from these areas. How long, before this is used to interfere. Beaches are also out-of-bounds.

Noise is a frequent complaint against ATV’s. Some machines could use better mufflers, but even reducing speed when passing near dwellings can reduce the noise, making fewer enemies.

The Isle Madame A.T.V. Riders Club invests time and money in Trail Development and welcomes assistance from anyone.

We have cleared out many trails, improved some swampy areas and built recreational-rise bridges. We have approached some landowners for trail easement, and have been successful in some cases. We insist that all out trails are multi-use trails.

There is a move in government circles to register all trails. This could result in a bureaucratic pain in the butt. It could also fall in the hands of the protectionist, who would ban us from anywhere but our own property, and then if we are a thousand feet from any other dwelling.

Registered Trails may be accompanied by an insistence on PL & PD insurance. Unless it is better enforced than the licensing requirement it is futile. Under the Off-Road Vehicle Act, all ATV’s are required to display a valid license plate. There are perhaps as many un-registered machines in Nova Scotia as are registered.

One area of hope in recreational trails is the proposed new Trails Act. While it does not suggest breaking up the trails into local management agreements, which could result in large sections being prohibited to all but foot traffic, it also proposes an absolution of liability for landowners allowing registered trails on their property. This could make landowners more amenable to our presence, and could possibly even legalize our use of sections of utility corridors outside developed or agricultural areas.

We would hope that government would require multi-use agreements before entering into management contracts unless there are reasonable conflicts.

Class K roads, which are those public roads that are not maintained, often lacking culverts and even overgrown, form a large part of the trails network. From time to time these become necessary for forestry or other uses, and we often continue to share them. But in some cases these are commercial users, and we often continue to share them. But in some cases these commercial users severely damage the roadbeds. We would like to see the Dept. of Natural Resources require these users to leave the road in equal or better condition when their in use ends. This will require pressure from recreational clubs of all stripes.

ATV’s are also responsible for roadbed damage, and in many cases it is a simple matter to reduce. If trail riders spread their tracks across the roadbed they reduce rutting, and at the same time they restrain the encroachment of roadside shrubs, keeping the trail wider.

ATV riders are our own biggest enemy. Speed, thoughtless use, trespass and damage, vandalism, noise are all part of our image. As a club we would hope to reduce these offences.