Benton County considers crackdown on ATVs, Damage to ditches might lead to ban.

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Benton County considers crackdown on ATVs, Damage to ditches might lead to ban.

From the St. Cloud Times (www.sctimes.)

FOLEY — Damage from all-terrain vehicles driving along area roads is prompting county officials to consider tougher restrictions.

Benton County commissioners will consider in the next several weeks whether to ban ATVs from all county road rights of way. Sherburne officials debated similar action but instead decided to work with groups to encourage responsible riding.

Complaints about damage to ditches and driveways, plus concerns about safety, are spurring officials to consider stricter rules. Repairing the damage can be costly, they say.

“This is the one way we would hope we could minimize the damage,” said Bob Kozel, Benton County engineer.

Benton County’s discussion is still in the preliminary stage, and at least one commissioner opposes the idea. However, the county board directed Kozel to prepare a draft ordinance.

Kozel said he’s received about 15 complaints in the past two years about ATVs creating ruts in ditches and breaking up the edges of blacktopped driveways. The damage is worse in areas where soil erodes easily, including Langola, Minden and Sauk Rapids townships, he said.

Counties can only limit ATV use along county roads, so an ordinance wouldn’t apply to state highways or township roads, Kozel said.

Example

As a model, Kozel is using a Washington County ordinance that took effect in January 2004 and bans recreational ATV use along county roads.

“The damage we were seeing was becoming more and more prevalent,” said Wayne Sandberg, assistant Washington County engineer.

Violating the ordinance for the first time results in a petty misdemeanor and a $120 fine. A subsequent offense is a misdemeanor. There are exemptions for agricultural use and law enforcement.

Washington is the only Minnesota county with such an ordinance, although Crow Wing is considering an ATV ban along some county roads.

Opposition

A Benton County ordinance would draw a lot of opposition from ATV riders, said Randy Murray of St. Cloud, vice president of the Granite City Trail Riders ATV club.

“It would actually affect a lot of people,” he said. The closest ATV trails are at least 70 miles away, Murray said, so many area enthusiasts ride along road ditches.

Only a handful of younger riders are causing the damage, he said. “If you drive responsibly and respect people’s property, you’re not going to do (any) damage,” Murray said.

Benton County Commissioner Duane Walter said he’s opposed to an ordinance, which he notes wouldn’t apply to two-wheeled vehicles such as dirt bikes.

“I’ve got some real reservations about enforcement, too,” Walter said.

Sherburne County

Sherburne County commissioners discussed what to do about ATV damage but aren’t ready to adopt an ordinance, public works director John Menter said.

Instead, county officials decided to talk with local ATV clubs and ask them to encourage ATV users to ride safely and responsibly, Menter said.

“It was sort of a soft approach to try to get some cooperation,” he said.