Good reasons for ATV bans

Thanks for the story on those poor all-terrain vehicle riders who can't seem to find anyone who loves them ("ATV fans see trails paradise," July 5). It seems no one wants them to build trails in their neighborhoods or on public forest lands in the Adirondack Park. How sad.

ATVs are fine for hauling wood or working a farm. But "recreational" riding has become the scourge of public forests, streams and trails throughout the Adirondacks.

ATVs cause widespread erosion, defoliation, degraded water quality, air pollution and noise pollution. They damage native wildlife habitat and spread invasive species at alarming rates. We have been documenting such destruction for years.

Perhaps ATV riders are unwanted because of the way some behave. Vandalism is common. Recall also the local jogger recently mowed down by an ATV rider and then abandoned to fend for himself with a broken leg.

ATVs have been banned from Adirondack Forest Preserve foot trails. State Vehicle and Traffic Law bans them from roads where cars and trucks are allowed, because they are so dangerous. How many fatal ATV accidents, often involving children, have we seen?

That $10-a-year registration fee doesn't begin to pay for ATVs' damage. Why should the rest of us continue to pay for their joy ride?

John F. Sheehan
Director of Communications
The Adirondack Council

Albany

The Adirondack Council won a lawsuit several years ago to force Lewis County to consider the environmental impact of its ATV trail system before approving it.

Source: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=819247&category=OPINION

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