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The July 27 editorial, "ATVs ... Again/Unreasonable demands," was on point. I agree that all-terrain vehicles are a completely unnecessary nuisance and pose significant problems for the community. Your invitation to buy one and "tear up your own backyard," however, was myopic.

Beyond issues of noise, dirt, accidents, public health and damage to public lands, has anyone considered the issue of property values? Who wants to buy a house in such a neighborhood of torn-up backyards? The situation bespeaks of Wild West lawlessness, pervasive lack of regard for the rights of others, arrogant self-indulgence and misplaced educational priorities for children. It's another example of the decline of common sense.

I live in a residential neighborhood of acre-plus lots including eight properties on which the owners have constructed ATV "tracks." My neighbor at the rear of my property has had several ATVs in frequent use on a track circumnavigating his property, built with grading equipment and including jumps and hills. The loud, unmuffled engine noise is quite annoying, as is the dust cloud that drifts off his property and coats everything nearby depending on air currents.

Another neighbor has multiple high-powered quads that are occasionally used on his property but are normally driven on the streets, presumably to the nearby Beaver Dam Wildlife Management Area, which is honeycombed with quad trails.

Enforcement of zoning regulations and traffic laws regarding ATVs is non-existent. Your editorial should have posited that ATVs are completely unsuitable for urban and suburban use and should be totally prohibited in that context.

Let the merchants who sell ATVs and the people who buy them get together and fund and build facilities and stop imposing on the goodwill of neighbors and the public.

JAMES SHERMAN

South Dennis

11 comments:

• LouToti (33) posts 7:36 pm

  bigjack609, you are absolutely right! I remember 30 years ago hunters drove pickup trucks through the woods. Now most of those same hunters are in their 50s or 60s and drive ATVs in the woods instead. Why? Because they're easier to get around and woods roads have grown in because the hunting clubs aren't allowed to cut branches to keep them open. No one wants to scratch their $40,000 4x4 crew cab pickup and ATVs can get back to the really good hunting spots. Not just that and ATVs are reliable and you know you'll get out which isn't something you could say about your pickup truck 30 years ago. I really think the state should create an ATV stamp for Hunting Licenses and charge a fee so hunter can use their ATVs on state managed land!

• Cyber1 (6) posts 7:34 pm

  I can drive my 4wd truck on state land but not my quad. How ironic.........

• bigjack609 (64) posts 4:37 pm

  How about older people that hunt and pay large amounts of money to do so who bought an atv that is insured and registered with the state and can't use it to get into the woods?not all that fair,not everyone tears through the woods with loud exhaust and rides wheelys some of us cruise slow and quiet but that makes no difference because now we are all shut out because of the rude the loud and the ignorant.

• Cyber1 (6) posts 6:18 pm

  Hey Mr. Sherman, The neighbors on both sides of bought their houses within the last 5 yrs. They LOVED the fact that I have an ATV track on my property. The families all ride on my track while we enjoy a barbeque and a bon fire. It's called LIVING pal. What makes me sick is people like you move to the woods and try to take away our lifestyle. We moved to the woods to get away from people like you. Do yourself a favor, move to A.C. You wont have to woory about any un-educated, trouble making ATV riders!

• atvriderjeff (1) posts 4:44 pm

  Ithink this guy is the one with no common sense or education. ATV riding is very popular across the state and the US. This guy is a complete idiot thinking atv riders are not educated well i have news for this guy, I am a very educated cisco network engineer and my brother is a very successful Pharmacist that enjoys riding our atvs, so i dont think this guy has a right to jude atv riders because we like to get dirty riding our atvs with friends and families. I think this is a typical tree Hugger that hates anything that relates to anything off road. I cant stand people like this and they really make my blood pressure go up!!!!!! Lets have this state open up the state forests and make atv riders buy a permit and well see how this state and all the towns will change there mind when they see the revenue that these "outlaw atv riders bring in. I think hatfield mccoy posted about 4 million in permit sales and fuel food and merchandise, this is no chump change for people wanting to go atv riding. Wake up State of New Jersey maybee us atv riders can help this state not raise our taxes that are already the highest in the country. thank you Jeff

• rmannlefty (2) posts 9:42 pm

  This editorial and the resulting letter from Mr. Sherman are so misinformed as to be laughable. First, The Press deigns to spout nonsense about a topic the editor obviously knows nothing about (three wheels?! they haven't sold three-wheelers in over twenty years...) and dismisses outright the responsibility of the Great State of New Jersey to give the legal owners of ORVs some support in exchange for their tax and registration dollars. Then, the letter writer decides for all of us that a legal riding area just won't do; he'd rather we just gave up riding and took up other, more honest pursuits (perhaps writing letters to the editor?). Lets face it, dirt bikers and ATV riders aren't just going to go away. One check of sales figures in this state alone will confirm this fact. Instead of making us outlaws, work with us so we have a legal park to ride in. Just look how some states handle it; instead of being automatic enemies, we could work together and not only encourage safe, legal riding, but could bring in revenue to the areas where riding is legal. Dirt bikers need fuel and food, too. Just ask the people who run the hot dog cart in the middle of Chatsworth.

• cincrft1 (31) posts 6:33 pm

  LouToti, Very well put........

• LouToti (33) posts 3:49 pm

  James, you bring up an interesting point. And I'd have to say your concerns are why the state and local communities should be doing more to create off-road parks in their communities. The reason many are now advocating for OHV parks is because that's the only way New Jersey is ever going to be able to regulate off-road ATV and Dirt Bike use. Without the Off-Road parks there will be no place to teach off-road safe and environmental education as well as mandate ATV and Dirt Bike reasonable ATV and Dirt Bike sound requirement. If we push and pass the off-road registration legislation without off-road parks then nothing will change and we'll have another piece of failed enforcement legislation. I would think that you being in a community such as Dennisville, that you want to get involved and find a property that is suitable for ATV and Dirt Bike use so that your neighbors have a safe and legal place to ride and aren't going to cause problems for people like you. This way everyone's a winner and in the end everyone walks away happy. Isn't that what neighbors are for?

• cincrft1 (31) posts 1:35 pm

  NJConcerned, You know it is not the fact that we are looking for the state to give us a place, I think it is more like helping us to acquire a space that not everyone is going to object too have us there.

• NJConcerned (3) posts 12:12 pm

  Listen, everyone is entitled to there opinion! But when you make a statement on something you have no idea about, you should keep your comment to yourself! If the State would give ATV riders a place to ride, maybe there would be less of a problem!

• cincrft1 (31) posts 12:04 pm

  James, Well let me first start off by saying I am sorry your having issues with ATV's. Of course my side of this issue is different from yours because my son rides, well I should say rode until the only legal park was closed in Sept 2008. These vehicles are fun and safe when you have the training a place to go and ride. This is and will be an on going problem until a place is allowed to open. This is a sport like all of the others but it is not for everyone. We are not arrogant self indulgence people. We just want and need an equal share of the 82 million acres of land in the state on NJ. I take a fence to the fact that you say misplaced educational priorities for children, well buddy let me tell you that my son has taken and passed the safety course and he knows his limits and abilities when he rides.In my opinion that Mr. Sherman is not a decline of common sense. What is a decline of common sense is that everyone knows that this is a problem but because of politics and land lovers that this is becoming a big pissing contest. The longer the people in power drag their feet to open a legal place to ride this problem will continue and so will the damage to property. On the fact of riding in our own back yard - my son does at times. I will not let him run through the woods. The manufacturers of the atv's do help with safety training and parks but the state of NJ is not the easiest to work with. So Mr. Sherman why don't you accept the fact that both sides of this issue disagree with each other but accept that fact that we need a place to ride like the one that use to be in Chatsworth. It was legal and safe and we were able to enjoy our family sport together as a family. Take your anger out on those that are trying to stop this new park in Little Egg Harbor from happening. Help us to get out of your back yard and into one of our own. And Also remember one thing - not everyone rides illegal........

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