ATVs get green light in Kawartha Lakes
A pilot project that allowed ATVs to use designated routes in various Kawartha Lakes communities will become permanent.
The decision was not a unanimous one, as some councillors were willing to take recent public deputations on the matter into account.
Several individuals attended the March 5 committee of the whole and Tuesday’s regular council meeting to share their concerns. These included reports of speeding, excessive noise and the increased use of non-approved vehicles such as dirt bikes on the trails.
Lindsay resident and Green Trails Alliance advocate Peter Petrosoniak also asked council to designate the Victoria Rail Trail Corridor between Thunder Bridge and Kenrei Park roads as “active transportation” only.
Darryl James, who had presented a petition of more than 800 opposition signatures to council more than two years ago, questioned complaint data contained in public works director Bryan Robinson’s report.
The report showed that the Kawartha Lakes Police Service received 12 complaints during the first year (May 2022 to April 2023). Of these, only two were actually related to the pilot project. One was reported in the second year (May 2023 to January 2024).
While the Kawartha Lakes OPP received 27 assorted ATV complaints, none of the issues appear to have occurred on roads within the scope of the pilot project.
In response to complaints over difficulties reporting complaints, municipal law enforcement manager Aaron Sloan said there are multiple reporting options available, including online, in-person, by phone and email.
In an effort to find a happy median, Ward 5 Coun. Eric Smeaton put forward a motion asking the pilot be extended for one more year.
He pointed out that when it came to opposition to the idea, Lindsay residents, who make up one quarter of the municipality’s population — even more so in 10 years, given residential development growth — were the most vocal.
Smeaton pointed to enforcement challenges, difficulties in monitoring use and the fact that many municipalities rejected doing a pilot as reasons to “pump the brakes” and put out “a new set of eyes and parameters.”
“Why not watch a little longer?” he said. “There is nothing sacrificed by extending the pilot.”
The motion failed, with opponents citing the need to move forward instead of stall.
Ward 8 Coun. Tracy Richardson — who was part of the initial pilot discussions — said council needs to “look at the bigger picture” that promotes the positives of an incredible trail system, supports local culture and tourism.
“We are a community of communities with a whole bunch of different interests … and the model reflects what other municipalities are already doing,” explained Richardson.
Staff will move forward with making amendments to the municipal bylaw permanent.