|
Brendan Purves Like many local municipalities, Hilltown Township is looking into creating an ATV ordinance, and just like in their neighboring communities, there are plenty of residents with an opinion.
At the Monday, Sept. 28 Hilltown Board of Supervisors meeting, residents for and against ATV control in the township came out in force to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed ATV ordinance, giving the board of supervisors a lot to think about before a final draft of the ordinance can be completed.
“It’s about quality of life for both the people that ride and the people who live near the people who ride,” Supervisor Richard Manfredi said.
The rough draft of the ordinance permits ATV users to ride only on parcels of land that are no smaller than three acres in size, in groups of no more than three riders, and only at certain hours. The ordinance would also require that trees be planted to dampen the noise that the all-terrain vehicles create.
Residents that opposed the ordinance said that planning trees would be cost prohibitive to families that ride on their property, and asked why the disrespectful riders in the township were going to ruin things for the respectful ones.
Residents that came out to endorse the ordinance said that the noise from the ATVs makes it impossible to enjoy their patios, and almost across the board said that noise was their biggest complaint with the ATV riders.
“I look at it as a problem of noise,” Supervisor Jack McIlhinney said. “I think – personal opinion – that’s where we should spend our efforts.”
While noise was one of the major complaints that residents had, Manfredi said that noise ordinances are very hard to enforce.
One resident suggested that vehicles be registered with the police and tested for volume so that the department will have a record of which vehicles are riding within the boundaries of a noise ordinance.
Another argued that this strategy would work when there is only one vehicle in use, but the noise increases when there are three vehicles riding at the same time.
The issue of dangerous driving was also mentioned at the meeting. One resident said that high speeds and reckless driving exhibited by some drivers has forced them to bring their children in when riders are near their property. Another inquired about his liability if a driver was hurt while trespassing on his property.
One suggestion as a possible solution to the purported ATV issue in the township was to use the open space money that the township has been awarded to create an ATV park. There was some interest in the idea in the crowd, but there was no discussion from the supervisors.
At the end of the discussion there was not much agreement beyond that fact that there should be some kind of ordinance, and that this ordinance should be fair to all parties.
“Obviously there are many, many sides to this issue,” Barbara Salvadore, chairwoman of the board of supervisors, said. “I think we need to go to the drawing board one more time.”
The ordinance will be reworked and brought back to the board at a future meeting, and Salvadore advised that interested residents check the agendas for upcoming meeting to see when the issue would be discussed again. Agendas are available prior to meetings at www.hilltown.org.
The next Hilltown TownshipBoard of Supervisors meeting will be held Monday, Oct. 12 in the township building, 13 W. Creamery Road, Hilltown, at 7 p.m. -- Source: http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/09/30/perkasie_news_herald/news/doc4ac2f52c0efd8636906989.txt |
