55% of Albertans back OHV restrictions
Poll finds women support more curbs on camping and off-roading
Most Albertans want the government to place more rules on offroading enthusiasts in public-use areas across the province, according to a new study.
The data collected by Lethbridge College students show 55 per cent of poll respondents support further restrictions on off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in public-use areas, while 11 per cent of those people say OHVs should be banned entirely in those areas.
One in four respondents thinks the province should keep the status quo when it comes to OHVs, which include quads, trikes, snowmobiles, off-road motorcycles and dune buggies, and one in five said there should be fewer restrictions.
The survey comes as the province faced criticism in the spring for plans to eventually phase out the use of OHVs in two provincial parks in the southwest corner of Alberta, and introduced a mandatory helmet law for riders on public land in May.
“It’s a hot issue,” said Faron Ellis, research chair of the Citizen Society Research Lab at Lethbridge College and principal investigator of the study.
“Albertans are not afraid or timid about protecting the environment, particularly the physical environment. When it comes to natural spaces, recreation spaces, they value protecting those, you see that in these results.”
Lethbridge College students interviewed 1,481 adult Albertans by telephone from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 for the poll.
The students also asked respondents about random camping and found 42 per cent of respondents support the NDP government putting greater restrictions on camping in Alberta’s public-use spaces, while 29 per cent said the status quo should remain and 28 per cent were in favour of fewer restrictions.
Whether respondents were answering questions about offroading or random camping, they were more likely to want greater restrictions if they were women, university graduates, NDP voters and seniors.
The poll didn’t ask respondents if they were OHV users, though Ellis said men tend to be more likely to ride the vehicles and to support fewer restrictions on their behaviour.
Ellis said the government should take note of the poll results as it works to update regulations concerning recreation on Alberta public lands.
“If the government goes about bringing forward reasonable restrictions on uses of OHVs, they’ll have the majority of the public on their side,” Ellis said.
The poll is considered accurate to within 2.55 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.