Corner Brook opens more roads to ATV traffic
But two areas taken off list
CORNER BROOK — The City of Corner Brook has approved opening more streets to all-terrain vehicles (ATVS), but opposition to the idea has meant not all of those included in a notice of motion issued in May are on the new list.
The city had proposed adding West Street, Park Street, Todd Street, Chestnut Street, Confederation Drive, Massey Drive, Georgetown Road and a part of Curling Street west of the intersection with Georgetown Road. It’s those latter two areas that generated the greatest opposition when the city sought the public’s opinion on the plan.
That prompted city staff to recommend to council take those two streets off the list. A briefing note presented at last Monday’s council meeting, said many residents of Georgetown Road are opposed to their street being used by ATV traffic. Of the 28 comments received, 75 per cent were negative.
Coun. Tony Buckle presented the original motion to change the Recreational Vehicles Regulations 2019 that included the two contentious areas during Monday’s meeting. Then Coun. Josh Carey moved to make an amendment to the motion to exclude them as identified in the staff recommendation and because of the feedback from residents.
In the discussion that followed, Buckle, who is an ATV user, acknowledged the complaints, but said he was against taking the two areas out of the regulations.
“I think the people in that area are frightened of the unknown,” he said.
He said a lot of people in the area have ATVS and use the road.
“It’s not legal, but they use it.”
Buckle said the city would be going backward by excluding the areas, and if it was passed, council would be more obligated to ensure the activity was controlled and may be able to stop the illegal use.
Carey said council could only go by the discussion it’s had and the feedback, and it was not a step backward.
“This is not an existing route, this will be an addition to the route.”
Mayor Jim Parsons and councillors Linda Chaisson, Bernd Staeben, and Vaughn Granter also weighed in and acknowledged the concerns of residents.
Parsons said it’s clear there is some existing illegal traffic and whether council makes the change or not the potential for illegal traffic is still there.
Chaisson said she received a lot of calls about the proposed changes, and safety is a major issue. She supported removing the two areas from the list.
Staeben said just because a decision is made doesn’t mean council can’t revisit it.
“If things change in October or next spring we can come back and add it on quite as easily as we are doing today.”
Granter agreed and said the ATV route in the city, which opened last summer, was started as a pilot program, was reviewed in the fall and can be reviewed again.
When the question was called to accept the amendment presented by Carey, all but Deputy Mayor Bill Griffin voted in favour. Griffin is a resident of Georgetown Road and didn’t participate due to a conflict of interest.
As council then moved to voting on the amended motion, Buckle indicated he thought the first vote was on the motion that included the two areas. When he was told it wasn’t, he said he was not in favour of it.
Before the amended motion was presented for vote, council had to decide if, with Georgetown Road off the list, Griffin was still in conflict. Chaisson was the only one to vote that he was.
All members of council then voted to approve the amended bylaw opening Park Street, West Street, Todd Street, Chestnut Street, Confederation Drive and Massey Drive to ATV use.