ATVs roaring in Plymouth Owners at odds with state; residents want quiet

Kurt Moffett

PLYMOUTH — Owners of all-terrain vehicles are opposed to having to register their vehicles and pay higher fines when the state does not provide them a place to ride.

This was the overwhelming sentiment at the first meeting of the town's ATV Ad Hoc Committee last week. The Town Council created the committee after complaints from residents about ATVs. People say they're noisy, and owners ride them for many consecutive hours. Police and town officials also hear complaints that some ATV riders trespass or travel on public roads.

The committee is reviewing state laws regarding ATVs, and for part of its meeting, reviewed a proposed local ordinance drafted in 2005, but never enacted.

State law requires the registration of any recreational vehicle, snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle, except on premises owned or leased by the owner of such recreational vehicles. According to the proposed ordinance, failure to produce a valid registration calls for a $40 fine for the first offense and $57 for second and subsequent offenses, exclusive of towing charges.

Committee member Victoria A. Carey said she thinks the penalties should be increased up to $500. Committee Chairman Walter R. Lassy and several people in the audience said they thought that was excessive.

Glenn Ayotte of Poland Brook Road said state law already addresses most of the issues the committee is reviewing. Additional regulations are not necessary, he said.

Gerald Lemeiux of North Main Street said the town should let the police enforce existing laws.

"There's only a handful of people who are breaking the law," he said.

"Punish the bad citizens and let the good people enjoy themselves. Don't make everybody suffer for a few people who are breaking the law."

Jeff Broomhead of Meadow Street noted that other pieces of equipment, such as lawn mowers, chainsaws and weedwackers, make at least as much noise as ATVs, and they're not regulated.

Debra Blanchette, a member of the committee and a resident who has frequently complained about her neighbor's use of ATVs, countered that lawn mowers and other landscaping equipment are typically not operated nearly as long as people who ride ATVs.

Police Chief Karen Krasicky said an ordinance would benefit her department. It should clearly define a recreational vehicle and authorize officers, for example, to document violations via the use of sound meters to check decibel levels and measure the distance riders are from people's property.

The committee is scheduled to meet again Oct. 1 at Town Hall.

Source: http://www.rep-am.com/News/367494.txt

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