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Let common sense ride

Let common sense ride Lately, we've all heard people calling for more ATV (and off-road vehicle/4x4) restrictions. Before we get too far with this, let's all step back and think about it for a moment. Say that some of what's been touted about is actual

Lately, we’ve all heard people calling for more ATV (and off-road vehicle/4x4) restrictions.

Before we get too far with this, let’s all step back and think about it for a moment.

Say that some of what’s been touted about is actually enacted. Age restrictions, altitude restrictions, breaking new trails, banning certain tires, creating non-ATV/4x4 trails, etc. The only one that might actually work is asking Ð yes, asking Ð that ATVs and 4x4s not be used to break new trails.

With the sparse population in the Yukon, attempting to enforce any legislation out in the sticks will be impossible unless YTG forks out some major dough. And even then it’ll only be next to impossible.

The vast majority of responsible wheelers already stick to the trails and do their best not to harm the terrain as they go for a ride.

However, asking us stay below the treeline or below a certain altitude is retarded.

I have no clue how high I am when I’m out for a drive. Nor do I care. If there’s a trail in place there’s no reasonable reason why I shouldn’t be able to follow it. Same goes for trails around the outskirts of Whitehorse. A walking-only trail? Get real. We all have the same right to use the trail system as long as we’re not destroying it. Sticking to the trails isn’t going to harm anything. You want to have a walking-only trail? Use the paved trails around town.

At the end of the day, even if some ridiculous legislation is enacted, only the people who are currently not the problem will obey it.

This accounts for the vast majority of wheelers (ATV and 4x4). The minority won’t give a damn, and will continue to do as they please. And with no feasible way to enforce whatever might get legislated, we’ll have wasted a bunch of money making up some laws that only the responsible will follow, and we’ll be in the same place in the years to come Ð with a minority of people complaining about the wheelers and thinking that more laws will fix things.

More laws are not the answer.

Support the wheeling orgs. They’ll promote responsible use of the land, and that wheelers use common sense.

Through peer pressure, we might actually be able to accomplish something. We can ask that the wheelers stick to the trails and not destroy the terrain. Other than that, we have a relatively small population living in the middle of a large trail system just begging to be explored. Thinking that some ban will correct how these trails are used is naive, and will simply waste money that could and should be better spent.

Jordan Rivest

Whitehorse