Pilot project will let 2 ATV clubs use some P.E.I. roads to link trails

Members of two Prince Edward Island all-terrain vehicle clubs will soon be part of a new pilot project to let them use provincial roads to travel from one trail to another.

The provincial government is asking for public feedback on both the pilot project and this use of the roads involved, and intends to draft "appropriate legislation if a permanent solution is thought to be safe for everyone."

The proposal involves two of the Island's six ATV clubs and 15 roads, some in the Evangeline area and others between Kensington and Borden-Carleton.

The roads in the pilot project are:

• Port Hill Station Road
• Rink Road
• MacInnis Road
• Aldous Road
• Hackmatack Road
• Brookside Road
• Murray Road
• Boodle Road
• Murphy Road
• North Freetown Road
• MacPherson Road
• Pius Croken Road
• Reeves Road
• Greenan Road

Peter Mellish, executive director of the P.E.I. ATV Federation, told CBC's Island Morning that the roads in the pilot project were chosen because they have very few homes on them, as well as a low number of vehicles using them.

Mellish said the goal is to eventually connect ATV trails on the Island from tip to tip. Private clubs have created about 250 kilometres of trails, but they need access to these roads to create a continuous trail. Using the existing roads is the environmentally responsible solution, he said.

"In some of these areas, there may be a wetland next to it and you have to use these roads," said Mellish.

"We don't want to build more trails in areas where it's a little bit of an environmentally-challenging area."

Year-round tourism

Provincial roads link trail points in many other parts of Canada, Meliish said, describingthe ATV trail system on the Island as an underdeveloped tourism product.

"We're getting inquiries all the time [from] people wanting to come to Prince Edward Island. We're slowly getting there to a point where we can offer the riding experience that people want," he said.

"It has the potential to be a year-round tourism product that can help rural communities thrive in the shoulder seasons and in the winter time."

The Department of Transportation is accepting feedback on the project until Monday, Nov. 9.

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