ATV owner fee would allow access to trails

Tom Humphrey

NASHVILLE - Under newly unveiled legislation, owners of all-terrain vehicles willing to pay a $11.25 state fee and perhaps more to local governments would have access to a network of "adventure tourism" trails and nearby highways where they are now forbidden to roam.

State Reps. Les Winningham, D-Huntsville, and Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, said the plan was developed by a group of interested parties, ranging from ATV enthusiasts to government officials, with the goal of generating tourism spending in rural Tennessee.

"This is a broad effort by a lot of people to come up with a bill to address ATV issues and how we could develop it into a tourism business in Tennessee," said Winningham in presenting the proposal to the House

Transportation Committee, which approved it with only one dissenting vote. The legislation was adopted as an amendment completely rewriting a bill - HB1324 - by Winningham that, as originally drafted, dealt with traffic cameras.

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Source: http://timesnews.net/article.php?id=9022243

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