Delaware County officials are considering an ordinance to allow all terrain vehicles (ATV) and utility task vehicles (UTV) on county roads.
County officials were approached earlier this spring by a local ATV club which requested that ATV and UTV riders be allowed to ride on county roads. Supervisor Jeff Madlom says the board has worked closely with the ATV club and the Delaware County Attorney’s Office to draft a proposed ordinance that leans towards safety.
“I know we have some minor opposition to having them on the road, but I think with the ordinance that we drew up, we are insisting on lit headlights, taillights, we are insisting on turning signals, we’re insisting on a slow moving vehicle sign on the back. We are going to allow them on class A gravels, and pavements, we are not going to allow them before sunrise or after sunset,” Madlom says.
The proposed ordinance would not allow ATVs or UTVs in county parks, but it’s possible the Delaware County Conservation Board would permit it in the future. Around twenty counties in the state have similar ordinances already in place, including nearby Buchanan County.
“I just think that we have to give the opportunity to see if it is going to work,” Madlom says. “I am personally 100 percent in favor of it. And I think only because we have worked so hard, we are trying to do it right.” The public will have a chance to give their opinion and ask questions during a public hearing on Delaware County’s proposed ATV/UTV ordinance at the May 9th Supervisors meeting.
You can also check out a draft of the proposed ordinance at the Delaware County Auditor’s Office.
(Reporting by Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester)