ATVs won't be allowed on Confederation Trail
P.E.I. government announced decision after consultation with the public
Access to the Confederation Trail will continue to be reserved for pedestrians, cyclists, and people using wheelchairs.
The province has announced that it will provide funding of up to $100,000 to the P.E.I. ATV Federation to create a new trail system for ATV users across the island.
As part of this initiative, the federation will develop a comprehensive map of the new trail system with consultation of residents, businesses and the province.
Transportation Minister Ernie Hudson made the announcement at a news conference on Feb. 8.
The province also released a review of consultation it held on use of the Confederation Trail. That review collected feedback on various aspects of trail use, including safety and potential improvements.
It included 5744 completed online surveys, 174 written email submissions and 753
participants across four community workshops.
The provincial government decided to ban ATV use on trails due to safety concerns raised during public consultation, said the minister.
“The most plausible option for a number of factors is to have a standalone tip-to-tip ATV trail. From what we saw and what we read in the report, it is going to provide the most benefit not only for Islanders but the tourism sector as well,” Hudson said
“Again, we have to wait and see what is the plan that's going to come forward as a result of the $100,000 that we are providing to the federation to have this plan put in place.”
Jody Jackson, president of the P.E.I. ATV Federation said it's a signal of long-term cooperation between the government and the ATV federation for the development of an Island-wide trail.
“This is just another step in the right direction for us to work with them on not only the dollars, but also, working with them on access to Crown land, and, understand there's a commitment to help us expand by using kind of roads that may have been closed in rural P.E.I. that will allow us to do it without actually using the trail.”
The province has mandated the ATV federation to devise a plan for a trail to be used. Jackson said the federation conducted a feasibility study that already explored the possibility of building the trail. The objective of the plan, which will be worked on with the government, is to chart a path that not only links existing trails but also extends the trail network from one end of P.E.I to the other.
“Our members would have liked to have seen us get access to the Confederation Trail and it would have helped us kind of build our trail quicker but the tip-to-tip exclusive to our riders is always our goal, so, we thank the government for this.”