Gander police handing out tips, not tickets, ahead of ATV ban vote

Municipal police officers in Gander will be ramping up stops of all-terrain vehicles in the coming weekends.But don't worry, they just want to talk.

With the help of some donated side-by-side ATVs, police are monitoring trails and speaking with driversabout rules and regulations. Officers stopped 29 ATV users last weekend to spread the word, said Rob Anstey, a Gander town councillor.

The goal is to use education tocurb the illegal use of the machines onroads, which has become a contentious issue around town.

"There is a problem," Anstey said."We do have a lot of them out there on the street."

ATV use a hot topic

Thecouncilis mired in the midst of a heated debate overthe use of ATVs on roadways.

• Councillor talks complaints of illegal ATV use

• 'Zero tolerance' for Gander's rule-breaking ATV drivers

Rule 3.C, a town bylaw, allows motorists to operate ATVs and snowmobiles on the side of town roads as long as the operator is 16 years old, holds a valid driver's licence, has insurance, stays under 20 km/hand only drives between their home and the nearest trail.

Next month, the council will vote on whether or not to repeal 3.C and go with a total ban of ATVs and snowmobiles on roads.

Education first, enforcement second

The biggest problem is ignorance of the current rules, Anstey said.

On Saturday, officers in two patrol cars and two side-by-sides asked people if they knew the rules. Their answers were all over the map.

"There's a lot of people here that do not know exactly what this rule is and how it is used," Anstey said. "(Officers)found a lot of people that had different variations of the rule."

A lack of education can be fixed without a total ban, he said.

"Anybody that's in this town and has had an ATV or a skidoo over the years and have followed the rules, this idea of losing that privilege is a hard pill to swallow. One thing we've said we will do as a town is step up our education. We will educate people for the first little while, and then we will start enforcing it."

Local businesses stepping up

The side-by-sides used over the weekend were donated to police by C&P Motorsportsand Central Cycle & Recreation.

"I think the ATV companies themselves are looking at it like, 'This is our livelihood, this is our business and we really don't want to see (a ban),'" Anstey said.

"So they were gracious enough to step forward and say, 'Here, you can have a loan of these if you want to go out and educate people on what the rule is.'"

There have been manymembers of the public reaching out to councillors in support of the ban.The bad apples amongst ATV riders are not making it easy for themselves, Anstey said.

"When you see someone go through the lights in the middle of town and drop into the Co-Op or the store, you've obviously got a problem."

The councilwill vote on the issue at itsmeeting on Sept. 7. Gander's annual Quad-A-Paloozakicks off on Sept. 10, with hundreds of riders expected to partake.