A Tilbury man is looking to gather support, from Wallaceburg, Dresden and all over Chatham-Kent, for a new ATV bylaw in the community.
“I got involved back in November when the bylaw almost passed when Coun. Steve Pinsonneault was bringing it to the table. It failed by a tie that night because of safety concerns and trespassing,” Vince Masse told the Sydenham Current.
“So I got involved with (West Kent) Coun. Mark Authier to get it back on the table. He worked hard with me to do that and we got it back on the table in four weeks. Where we are at now is they voted in favour of a study for the items that they felt need to be concentrated on in the proposal.”
In the meantime, Masse has started the Chatham-Kent ATV Club.
“I figured to keep active and to have more strength to try and get the bylaw passed, was to create an ATV club,” he said. “I have got over 50 members for now, and work together and put our heads together. Work with councillors that are for it and to hopefully make this bylaw happen in the spring if they can get it back on the table and get all the concerns ironed out with the legal department and the Police Chief.
Masse added: “If we can convince a few more councillors… we can make this work like any other community has made it work.”
Masse said he has been actively involved with ATV riding since 2009.
Along with his wife, they have ventured to northern Ontario – Fenelon Falls, Bobcaygeon, Tweed areas – and northern Michigan to ride.
Masse said although Chatham-Kent does not have a lot of bush area for a trail system, back road riding could be a great option.
“We have hundreds of miles of back roads here,” he said. “You figure what each ward has alone, there is enough back roads there. The population of the traffic on those back roads is minimal because the only people that you really see back there are the people that live there or going to visit.”
Masse said the ATV club is looking for the ability to utilize the backroads, along with the use of the shoulder on secondary roads, to be included in any new bylaw.
Masse said the main goal of the ATV club is to educate people on how to ride safely.
Is it your goal to educate on how to ride safe?
“If this bylaw goes through, we have already got contacts with an ATV safety riding trainer who is certified with Ontario,” he said. “The thing we will be promoting, of course, is safe riding, no trespassing, respect the land, respect the law. There is always one bad apple, no matter what it is. Whether it be someone in a car or a motorcycle. Our goal is to try and educate the majority to respect this bylaw if we get it passed so that it is something we can keep forever.”
The club has a members meeting scheduled on February 28 at Country View Golf Course, and Masse said they have invited many of the area councillors to attend.
He has also reached out to the Chatham-Kent legal department and the Chatham-Kent Police Service.
“I have requested to have a meeting with them and bring a few members in and sit down. Look at a map of Chatham Kent and try to resolve as many concerns if not all of them that they have against the bylaw because of the safety factor and all that. I think if we all sat at the table and spend whatever time it takes, I would think myself and some club members could persuade them to look at it in a different way and give it a chance.”
Here is some more background on the issue: C-K revisiting ATV bylaw
E-mail chathamkentatv@gmail.com to connect with the Chatham-Kent ATV Club.
