North Port's ATV furor may soon subside

OUR POSITION: The conflict over North Port's restrictive ATV ordinance finally may be dying down.

For years, we've heard a continual roar of squabbling and complaints from people who want more freedom to ride all-terrain vehicles in North Port and people who'd just as soon see the machines left in the garage.

It's not a problem confined to this city. In many places throughout the country, the presence of dirt bikes on fields and back roads is a constant annoyance to residents. Up north, snowmobilers often are blamed for shattering the peace and quiet of frozen, snow-covered small towns. Snowmobile use in national parks has been a continuing controversy.

So we know it can be a sticky issue, pitting boys and girls who just want to have fun with residents looking for a more peace.

In North Port, the ATV riders have vehemently objected to an ordinance that virtually bans the motorized sport in the city. In order to ride on private property, even, all-terrainers need written permission from the property owner. They've complained long and loudly that the city was singling them out for persecution.

Commissioners have been trying to find a happier medium for a long time, but only recently have they begun to make real headway. Three months ago, ATV riders left a city meeting angry and spouting off about "broken promises." Last week, it was another story.

After a 21/2-hour workshop, it finally appeared the city and the ATV riders were beginning to find some common ground. Commissioners agreed to remove from their ordinance the requirement for written permission on private property. They also agreed to look into the possibility that ATVs might be used in the eastern portion of the city, where there are thousands of empty lots. There are many problems with this, dealing with the city's liability and zoning questions, but city officials indicated they were willing to work on possible solutions.

Commissioners also decided to ban ATV riding on vacant property within a quarter-mile of any home, and they held the line on riding in residential neighborhoods, defined as areas with two or more homes. That would seem to satisfy most homeowners. And from all accounts, the riders, especially those in the North Port Off Road Association, want to avoid conflicts with homeowners as much as possible anyhow.

But commissioners also discussed the possibility of coming up with a large section of land -- maybe as much as 100 acres -- for ATV riders to roam at will. The idea is to develop an ATV park, on the same lines as a BMX or skateboard park. To this end, the city may be able to get a grant, funded by money collected by the sale of ATVs. If nothing else, it represents a desire to move from the adversarial position to something that looks more like a partnership between the city and the ATV riders.

That's a positive thing. It will take months to complete the ordinance process, but it will be better for all when the roar or conflict finally dies down.

Source: http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/edStory.aspx?articleID=441141

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