Three snowmobilers ticketed in city police enforcement blitz

The Ottawa police traffic unit turned its attention to snowmobilers on Saturday, stopping more than 100 riders and issuing three tickets for improper documentation.

Officers used an unmarked car on Mitch Owens Road to check snowmobiles and their riders as they crossed the road during an annual rally, said Sgt. Mark Gatien.

“The vast majority were in compliance,” Gatien said.

Officers used a radar gun to measure the speed of some of the riders — the speed limit on all snowmobile trails in the city is 50 km/h — and though some riders were speeding, the only tickets issued were for not having a valid operator’s permit or for not carrying proper insurance documentation.

Fourteen riders dodged off the trail when they saw the officers, he said.

“It’s just crazy for someone to do that,” Gatien said. “It made us wonder what they were hiding. Maybe they had been drinking ... but to stop and do a U-turn in front of other riders? That’s crazy. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

The officers didn’t have a snowmobile with them to give chase, but they probably wouldn’t have pursued anyway, Gatien said, because it would have been too dangerous.

The tickets issued carry a $110 fine. Snowmobile operators must carry either a valid driver’s licence or a snowmachine operator’s permit, and must also have valid insurance.

Since the snowmobilers travel as a group, Gatien said all the riders waited while police did their checks. He complimented the group on its patience.

“They were very co-operative. They said, ‘If one gets checked, everyone gets checked.’ They were very good about that.”