ATV riders petition to use Nova Scotia roadways between trails

AnATV rider in Queens County, N.S., has started a petition to letATV usersdrive on the shoulder of provincial roads to travel between sections of trail.

"I've been riding since before I could walk. My family has had four-wheelers and snowmobiles and I've been on one of those since I was a little toddler," said Jessica Joudrey, who took part in the Central Nova ATV Club Rally Saturday in Springfield.

Joudrey saidNova Scotia's current rules, which allow ATVs to directly cross non-controlled-access roads or highways, but not to travel along the shoulder of the roadway, are unfair and potentially dangerous when there's a break in the route.

"There are a lot of places were you have to cross the road to get from old railroad tracks to the next set of old railroad tracks. And it's a matter of 50 feet in most locations," she said.

She said riders can face fines of$400.

"I know of situations where [the Department of Natural Resources] and police personnel have been sitting at those trailheads and stopping buggies that come through," she said.

"They will be giving out fines for places that they know we have to cross roads or drive [on the] shoulder to get from trailhead to trailhead."

Joudrey hopes the petition, which has roughly 1,500 signatures, will make a difference as provincial officials redraw Nova Scotia's Motor Vehicle Act.

The ATV Association of Nova Scotia (ATVANS) supports her effort.

"It takes an activity that is currently happening anywayand makes it legaland specifically says, from this point to that point, you can ride on the shoulder of the road," said Barry Barnet, executive director of ATVANS.

"It gives the Department of Transportation the opportunity to come out and evaluate the road for conditions like thissharp turns and hills and that kind of stuff to see if it makes sense for this to happen from a safety perspective."

Barnet said many of the connecting points are located on roads cars pass perhaps once an hour andwhere it would be too expensive to build an ATV bridge or underpass.

Barnet saidsignage at the connection points, both on the trails for riders and on the roadways for drivers, would add to the margin of safety.

Government replacing Motor Vehicle Act

The Nova Scotia government is aiming to introduce a replacement to the Motor Vehicle Act, called the Traffic Safety Act, in the fall sitting of the legislature.

Spokesperson Marla MacInnis of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal saidthe government has held dozens of meetings with stakeholder organizations, and public comments can be made through the TIR website.

"It's too early to say how the new Traffic Safety Actand its supporting regulationsmay address the use of off-highway vehicles differently, but we are giving consideration to all feedback," she said.

MacInnis saida pilot project giving ATV riders permission to cross larger controlled-access highways at eight locations across the province is scheduled to begin this fall.