On Town Meeting Day last week, four small towns in various parts of the state contemplated a question that has increasingly popped up in Vermont’s rural communities: to what extent should all-terrain vehicles be allowed to utilize town roads.
The advisory votes in Fletcher, Highgate, Orwell and Danby went both ways, and the discussion in those towns is likely far from over.
The Town Meeting Day results mark a continuation of a long-simmering, often contentious debate in many corners of the state. ATVs are prohibited on state roads and highways, but some towns allow access on local roads.
According to Tommy O’Connor, the executive director of the nonprofit Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association, there was an increase in ATV riders seeking access to such roads during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the sport was one avenue through which friends could spend time together safely.
O’Connor also noted the continued growth of the ATV industry nationally as well as trail network expansions and an increase in riders across the state. In Vermont, the sportsman’s association manages roughly 1,000 miles of trail — the majority of it on private land — and last year had 5,700 members across its 24 clubs. (It requires that riders be club members, including those from out of state.)
No comprehensive list of towns that allow access to ATVs exists, nor do open roadways show up on the sportsman’s association’s map of trails, O’Connor said. The group prefers to let towns communicate that information on their own, he said.
O’Connor said the association does not advocate for or against towns opening up their roads to recreational vehicles, though it has served as a resource for communities considering the matter.
Proponents of ATV use on town roads often cite a need to use the roads to access or link trail networks; some towns have opened up specific connecting roads for that purpose. They also mention the economic benefit of ATV users being able to access town businesses. Others suggest such a move might help curb illegal riding, or make the argument that ATV users, as taxpayers, should be allowed to access town roads “like everyone else.”
Those on the other side of the issue tend to cite concerns with noise, speeding, safety, increased traffic and associated increased illegal use, and the possible need for increased law enforcement presence.
Last week in Franklin County, where some towns have already opened roads to ATVs in past years, the towns of Fletcher and Highgate contemplated the issue as well as voters in the Addison County town of Orwell and the Rutland County town of Danby. The votes in each community were advisory only: the authority to create or make changes to an ATV ordinance lies solely with the selectboard.
“I was at the Fletcher informational meeting,” O’Connor said Monday. “The first thing I said: This is a Town of Fletcher issue, so it should be up to the town residents.”
Fletcher ultimately voted no to the prospect of allowing ATVs on town roads by a vote of 159 to 242. No matter the result, O’Connor said he thought Fletcher went about the decision the right way: they had a committee made up of people for and against the issue who did a long-term research project, he said, and held a big informational meeting to educate residents.
Highgate opened up specific connecting roads to ATVs last year. On Town Meeting Day, voters approved a petitioned ballot item to expand the town’s existing ordinance to all town roads by a vote of 270 to 219. While the vote was non-binding, selectboard minutes show that the board previously indicated its willingness to open the roads.
Orwell residents petitioned to add an advisory ballot item asking if voters want the town to develop an ordinance for the recreational use of ATVs on town roads. That measure was narrowly approved by a vote of 182 to 169 last week.
And in Danby, where the matter was discussed at a number of meetings in 2021 before being dropped, townspeople overwhelmingly voted against advising the selectboard to develop an ordinance for some or all town roads. According to the Town Clerk’s office, the tally was 301 against to 158 in favor.
O’Connor anticipated that even in towns that have voted against opening roads to ATVs, residents will likely continue to push for another vote in the future. He urged patience as local officials continue to grapple with the issue.
“When the vote happens, let the vote happen, let it sit; relax a little bit,” he said. “Just let things settle and get through it all.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont towns continue to grapple with allowing ATVs on local roads.