Lilly relents on trail barriers

Written by Tribune-Democrat

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

LILLY, Jun 03, 2009 (Tribune-Democrat - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Safety concerns regarding all-terrain vehicles are colliding with riders who say a recent crackdown is leaving them unable to get to bony piles in Washington Township.

An ongoing battle between the borough and riders came to a head Tuesday.

About 20 people told council that guardrails installed last month to block access through town and increased police monitoring are not the answer.

"They don't do anything but ride to the coals," one woman told council.

But resident Emil Campagna said some of the riders have no regard for the residents and are making problems for everyone.

"A lot of people in this community are pretty fed up and it's not because people are against ATVs," he said.

One problem area is Willow Street, where riders were using the old trail from the Portage Railroad as part of the route to get to the bony piles just east of the borough.

Residents complained in May, and council reacted by erecting metal guardrails at the top of the trail at Willow Street and at the bottom.

The response by some of the riders was to take their ATVs to borough streets.

On Tuesday night, council members said they will order removal of the guardrails But they said that the borough will not condone use of the old trail or ATVs on the streets.

"The guardrails are going to be removed, but we can't give you permission to use the bank or run the streets," councilman Fred Gailey said.

Council referenced a 2001 PennDOT study finding there was no need for a guardrail along the highway at the top of Willow Street.

To keep one in place at the bottom, while not referenced in the study, could result in injury, council President John Nezneski said.

Another area of concern is around the Lilly War Memorial Field, where ATV riders are doing wheelies between cars in the parking lot, Washington Township supervisors were told recently.

"I think we're going to take a proactive role. We can't stop everyone, but we've got to get the ones that abuse the riding," Supervisor Ray Guzic said Tuesday.

Source: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/06/03/4208983.htm

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Community Voices

“We’ve had success bringing illegal riders to justice by snapping photos of their ID stickers. The problem in California is that they’re too darn small to see from far away or at high speeds. While I’m normally not in favor of the government getting involved in things, requiring all ORVs to have a visible ID with a minimum size and standard location would make them an even better tool for property owners to identify trespassing riders. We should also look to Wyoming’s lead and make trespassing penalties clear so riders think twice before they head off designated trails and onto my land.”

- Mesonika Piecuch, private property owner, Kern County, CA