{"id":4094,"date":"2015-09-19T16:40:56","date_gmt":"2015-09-19T20:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=4094"},"modified":"2015-09-20T00:01:11","modified_gmt":"2015-09-20T04:01:11","slug":"atv-controversy-continues-in-lake-of-bays-mayor-blames-yahoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/atv-controversy-continues-in-lake-of-bays-mayor-blames-yahoos\/","title":{"rendered":"ATV controversy continues in Lake of Bays, mayor blames ‘yahoos’"},"content":{"rendered":"

[ratings] <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Township of Lake of Bays will have to decide how to proceed with respect to ATVs travelling on its municipal roads. Its two-year trial ATV bylaw, restricting ATV travel to municipal roads south of highway 117, is set to expire on January 1, 2016.<\/p>\n

<\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n

\u201cTo date we\u2019ve received no complaints over noise and in talking with the roads superintendent, there was no increase in maintenance (costs) on municipal roads,\u201d Director of Building and Bylaw Services Stephen Watson told council. \u201cSo, staff felt since the bylaw was going to elapse, that perhaps this would be a good time to extend the bylaw through the entire Township.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the District Municipality of Muskoka is awaiting council\u2019s decision to extend the use on all District roads within the municipality.<\/p>\n

Watson said ATVs are already travelling on roads they\u2019re not allowed on, so extending the bylaw to all municipal roads would simply recognize the activity.<\/p>\n

Council is divided on allowing ATVs on municipal roads.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lake of Bays Mayor Bob Young disagreed with staff\u2019s assessment.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the contrary I have heard complaints from lots of people, especially in Sinclair Township, saying \u2018I sure hope you\u2019re not going to allow them up here.\u2019 So I\u2019ve heard a lot of negatives with very little request for extension, so I don\u2019t see how I can support this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young said he could support extending the existing bylaw, which restricts where ATVs are allowed, but he could not support allowing them on all municipal roads.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have very similar concerns. I have not had a single person request the extension in this area,\u201d said Councillor Nancy Tapley, referring to the northern part of the municipality.<\/p>\n

She also said the fact that people have requested additional signage from the municipality \u2013 most of it stating no ATVs allowed \u2013 speaks to people not welcoming ATV use on their roads.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be more comfortable if this had gone before the public first. To me it is a very interesting argument to say, \u2018well they\u2019re doing it illegally so let\u2019s make it legal,\u2019 because that could roll across to a whole pile of things in society that perhaps you\u2019d like to not do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councillor Ruth Ross argued that in her area of Dorset, they are legal and there have been fewer problems.<\/p>\n