Recent Legislative Action
2009 S444: Prohibits ORVs on streets in cities w population of 1 million or more. (1/7/09: Referred to Transportation Committee) S665: Prohibits the operation of all-terrain vehicles on school grounds, and baseball, football and soccer fields, without permission (1/12/09: Introduced) A1946: Requires license plates on all ORVs and gives officers authoriy to impound vehicles for riding off deisgnated routes in Forest Preserves. (1/14/09: Referred to Transportation Committee) A1953: Improves ORV enforcement by tightening registration requirements (1/14/09: Referred to Transportation Committee) A2156: Prohibits the operation of all-terrain vehicles by the general public in the state forest preserve, Long Island central pine barrens area and Albany pine bush preserve - allows for immediate vehicle impoundment for violations (1/15/09: Introduced) A2966: Eliminates annual ORV registration fee, but dedicates $10 million to trail maintainence and mapping. Also provides funding for law enforcement, requires license plates and authorizes the impoundment of vehicles (1/22/09: Referred to Tourism Committee) A4356: Creates registration financed ORV fund to pay for enforcement, trail maintenance and reparations for damaged property. Would require license plates, increases violation penalties and permits vehicle impoundment (2/3/09: Referred to Tourism Committee) S2533: Calls for study of economic impact of ORVs. Also includes study of enforcement, safety and environmental cost concerns and survey of private property owners (2/23/09: Referred to Cultural Affairs Committee) 2008 A2747: Creates $20 fee on all ATVs to pay for enforcement and reparations for private property damage, and increases penalties for violations, including vehicle impoundment (1/9/08: Sent to Senate Committee on Tourism and Recreation) S5706 Requires the state to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of ORV riding (6/18/08: Passed Senate and Sent to Assembly) S578: Increases penalties for the illegal operation of ORVs on public or private grounds or on any baseball, football, or soccer field that has been conspicuously posted as a no-trespassing area (1/9/08: Referred to Senate Transportation Committee) A916: Prohibits operation of ORVs in state forest preserves, Long Island Central Pine Barrens Area and Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Violations can result in vehicle impoundment (1/3/08: Introduced) 2007 A2677: Requires license plates for ORVs and allows peace officers to impound vehicles for certain violations (1/18/07: Introduced) Community Voices Demand Action in New YorkNew Yorkers are increasingly voicing their concerns about a growing contingent of reckless riders who break the law, damage public and private land, injure themselves and others, and ruin hunting, fishing and hiking experiences for the rest of us.- "We get calls about ATVs all over the village. Usually by the time someone calls us and a car gets there, the ATVs are long gone...It's a problem in our community. We enforce it as much as we can with the tools we've got." -- Eric Proulx, Tupper Lake police Sargent, "Illegal ATV, snowmobile use a problem in Tupper", Adirondack Daily Enterprise (11/19/08)
- “Not giving the clubs permission doesn't mean the ATVs won't be there. There's a large group that's going to be there no matter what.” -- New York Legislator Christopher Palermo, "ATV club seeks access to county trail", The Citizen (1/21/10)
- "...within the past year and a half, the Department of Environmental Conservation has ramped up its effort. That's because dirt bikes, four-wheelers and even trucks have decimated the Taconic Crest their knobby tires tearing paths into trenches, carving side trails and turning damp soil into mud bogs wide enough to float a canoe through." -- "Man in Green Holds the Line", Albany Times-Union (11/11/08)
- "Who wants to spend a weekend listening to those machines (ATVs) revving up? Also, there's dirt, dust, exhaust. When you live in the country, you expect to enjoy the peace and quiet. A chain saw is OK once in a while, but not this." -- Priscilla Bailey, Madison property owner reacting to proposed ORV park, "Neighbors Sling Concerns about ATVs", The Post Standard (10/13/08)
- “Just walking our dog has been dangerous when they fly by at 50 miles an hour,” -- Amy D'Angelo, lives along the Hojack trail, "ATV club seeks access to county trail", The Citizen (1/21/10)
- "Essentially, the department is very concerned about the impact and their well documented negative impact of ATV use on state land. Primarily running through wetlands and streams and it's just not good for the environment or for the other users of the resource." -- Judy Drabicki, DEC Region 6 Director, "DEC has issues with ATV trails," TWEAN News 10 Now (9/22/08)
- "I have never seen this many ATV accidents in this short a time. It happened, and we're trying to deal with it." -- Sgt. Martin Bronisz, Acting Sgt. of Sheriff's Special Services Unit, "ATVs claim 2 lives in 4 accidents", Buffalo News (9/4/08)
- "I am a farmer and a landowner. With ATVs, it's a no-win deal. They do damage, and they are loud." -- Steven Cuddeback, Cayuga County Legislator, "Legislators take another look at ATV plan", The Citizen (8/14/08)
- "They're keeping the people up all night...We need more patrols up here." -- Debbie Preston, Conklin Supervisor, "ATVs, dirt bikes rile Conklin residents", Press and Sun-Bulletin (10/10/07)
- "Two years ago, the state legislature adopted Chapter 601 prohibiting the illegal use of ATVs on farmland...But instead, many ATV owners have taken their hobby to school grounds and athletic fields, and in many cases have caused extensive damage. The schools are then left with the bills to repair their fields. This legislation would severely fine anyone caught damaging school grounds or community athletic fields with an ATV." -- Senator Bill Larkin, 39th Senate District, "Sen. Larkin proposes penalties for operating atvs on school grounds or ball fields", US States News (5/25/07)
- "People get hurt every year by not operating ATVs in a safe manner... There are rules that need to be followed in order to keep riders-and everyone else-safe. The people that own or operate these vehicles, both kids and adults, need to be made aware of the laws associated with them, and follow them." -- Bernhard Peter, Police Chief of Schodack, "ATVers have police chief fuming", The Independent (8/14/07)
- "There's an absolute war out there...ATVs and motorcycles are the biggest threat to the pine barrens." -- Richard Amper, Long Island Pine Barrens Society, "Battle for the Barrens; Rough riders; Cracking down on ATVs; As authorities take a tougher approach against illegal riding, some say their tactics are the real danger", Newsday (1/23/07)
Recent ORV-Related Media Coverage
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Written by Newsday
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010 |
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Jennifer Smith The death of two piping plover chicks earlier this month at Robert Moses State Park has prompted an investigation by federal wildlife officials - and a new protective fence that, for now, blocks off-road vehicle access to fishing spots on the bay side of Democrat Point. Piping plovers are small, federally protected birds that nest on the open beach, leaving them vulnerable to predators and disturbance from beachgoers and vehicles. |
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Read more... [Federal officials investigate piping plover deaths]
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Written by Poughkeepsie Journal
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Monday, July 19, 2010 |
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Shantal Parris Riley NEW PALTZ — A 22-year-old man is in Ulster County Jail after being arrested, accused of leaving the scene of a fatal motorcycle accident, police said Sunday. Police said they believe a Nissan truck operated by Clinton Roehrs made contact with a motorcycle driven by Frank Perconti, 23, as he traveled alongside it Friday. |
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Read more... [Police charge New Paltz man in fatal hit-run]
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Written by Poughkeepsie Journal
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Monday, July 05, 2010 |
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WAPPINGERS FALLS – A town man faces a felony charge of driving an ATV while intoxicated on a town road. New York State Police on Saturday night arrested Daniel Alexander, 46, after he was reported allegedly operating an all-terrain vehicle on someone’s property off All Angels Road without permission. New York State Police said when they arrived at the property shortly after 9 p.m. the suspect fled the scene and drove the ATV onto Germaine Lane. Alexander was located soon afterward. |
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Read more... [ATV joy ride nets Wappinger man DWI arrest]
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Written by Watertown Daily Times
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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 |
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Sarah Haase ADAMS — The village Board of Trustees tabled a decision about opening village roads to all-terrain vehicles. The board has heard only negative feedback about opening North Park and Spring streets to ATV drivers, Mayor Patricia C. Sweetland said, and the issue was best left untouched until additional information can be obtained. The village will wait to see what the Town Council decides. |
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Read more... [Adams puts off vote on access for ATVs]
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Written by Newsday
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Friday, June 18, 2010 |
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Evan Klonsky In a training exercise that also cleans up a sensitive environmental area, an air team from the New York Army National Guard extracted and dropped abandoned vehicles from the Pine Barrens region of Westhampton yesterday. The team, led by Chief Warrant Officer Richard Siracusano, worked in collaboration with the New York State Department Of Environmental Protection and local law enforcement to rid the area of "derelict" vehicles. |
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Read more... [Army Guard training flights help clean Pine Barrens]
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Written by Watertown Daily Times
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Thursday, June 10, 2010 |
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A Black River man is facing nine charges after he allegedly drove an all-terrain vehicle dangerously close to a Jefferson County deputy sheriff who was standing beside another ATV, according to the sheriff's office. Roger W. Rosintoski, 18, of 22851 County Route 144, was arrested late Tuesday, and was held in the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building until bail of $750, set by Rutland Town Justice James E. Eddy, was posted. He awaits prosecution on charges of second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, speeding at 75 mph in a 55-mph zone, failure to reduce speed at a hazard, failure to yield right of way to a law enforcement vehicle, failure to comply with police orders, driving without a license and operating an uninsured and unregistered vehicle. |
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Read more... [Black River ATV rider jailed after incident with deputy]
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Written by Buffalo News
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Saturday, June 05, 2010 |
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GAINESVILLE - An ATV accident Friday night left the vehicle in a ditch, two women facing alleged drunk driving charges, and one of their husbands in the hospital, state police based in Warsaw reported Saturday morning. At about 10:27 p.m., troopers Matt Witkowski and Jay Hoy were dispatched to an ATV accident on Route 19A in Wyoming County. They discovered the ATV had struck a ditch, ejecting both the driver and passenger. |
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Read more... [Two charged, one hospitalized following ATV crash]
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Written by Buffalo News
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Saturday, June 05, 2010 |
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GAINESVILLE - An ATV accident Friday night left the vehicle in a ditch, two women facing alleged drunk driving charges, and one of their husbands in the hospital, state police based in Warsaw reported Saturday morning. At about 10:27 p.m., troopers Matt Witkowski and Jay Hoy were dispatched to an ATV accident on Route 19A in Wyoming County. They discovered the ATV had struck a ditch, ejecting both the driver and passenger. |
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Read more... [Two charged, one hospitalized following ATV crash]
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Written by Poughkeepsie Journal
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Thursday, May 27, 2010 |
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A City of Poughkeepsie man who was caught driving an all-terrain vehicle on a public road in Dover while he was drunk can avoid time in prison if he engages in treatment for alcohol abuse, a judge told him today. Steven Amato, 28, of Union Street, entered a guilty plea in Dutchess County Court to driving while intoxicated, a felony. |
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Read more... [Man admits driving ATV while drunk]
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