A report on whether or not Timmins streets should be opened up to ATVs was a waste of "time and resources" of the Timmins Police Chief, according to one Timmins councillor.
At the June 16 meeting, police chief John Gauthier outlined a report drafted at the request of Coun. John Curley, who asked the city to look at a trial period allowing off-road vehicles on some roads at a May meeting. Over the past couple of winters the city has run a trial project with the Timmins Snowmobile Club to open up some city streets to sledders to access trails, gas stations and hotels.
Gauthier's report outlines safety concerns and things for council to consider in allowing ATVs on city roads. While council discussed the report a decision was not made on the item.
He notes smaller communities such as Iroquois Falls and Kapuskasing allow ATVs on some roads. Sudbury also has a bylaw permitting it.
“And it incorporates a schedule which clearly indicates which streets and roads are allowed to be used,” he said.
In areas that allow ATVs access to roads, the report lists criteria for operators.
It includes having a valid Ontario driver's license, insurance requirements, mandating all riders to have an approved helmet, not allowing children under the age of eight as a passenger on an ATV operating on-road, hours for when vehicles are allowed on the streets, speed limits (20 km/hr where the regular limit isn't over 50 km/hr), and more.
“In analyzing the need to allow ATVs on municipal roadways consideration for the need for public safety should always be paramount. These vehicles are increasing in size and horsepower and to expect novice and sometimes experienced operators to maintain control of these vehicles would be unrealistic,” said Gauthier.
Other issues that have to be considered, he said, are visibility because sightlines are different, there are no turn signals, and the lack of safety equipment such as seatbelts and airbags.
Awareness that there would be an increase in traffic complaints, an increase in motor vehicle collisions — including those with injuries, and an increase in noise complaints are also listed.
Coun. Kristin Murray didn't sugar-coat her response to the report.
“I feel like we have completely wasted the time and resources of our chief of police,” she said. “I do respect the request, but we have so many other things happening within our municipality and for us to task our chief of police with this is just ridiculous to me. And I’m being completely honest, I could name many other things that we could have spent resources on. So sorry if I sound very passionate, but I’m looking at...do we spend this much conversation on lowering our taxes, the people who are in our community who could potentially not have enough resources to pay for their groceries because of corona.”
Having a different pulse on the community, she said those are the things council should be talking about and “not necessarily the potential of a group that doesn’t exist yet to drive their four-wheelers on the street.”
The item being brought up by a councillor and not a local club was noted by a number of councillors.
For the winter initiative, the Timmins Snowmobile Club lobbied the city for the program and works with them on communicating where riders can go. The trial project has been phased in over the past couple of years.
Coun. Noella Rinaldo said she'd prefer to wait for an ATV organization to approach the city.
The issues of land use was also a concern for Coun. Rock Whissell.
“Without having permission, without having contracts... they have no trails, they have no organization. So if they, like the skidoo club, come back to us with land permits, with a trail, with sections that they can use from the street to get to those trails then I see the benefit of having these four-wheelers on our streets,” he said.
Coun. John Curley said there was a lot of good information in the report.
He supports a trial period with strict rules on speeds, age of drivers, licence plates, insuranve, and everything he said most people have.
He suggested it could run year-round, noting people with plows on the front of their ATV who are plowing the driveway are breaking the law going on the street doing that or to help clear a neighbour's driveway.
