Flin Flon ATVers have a year to prove they can all drive responsibly or risk losing the freedom to ride in and out of the community.
Limited ATV access will remain legal in Flin Flon for another 12 months, at which time city council may revoke the privilege if safety concerns persist.
“This is on each and every individual that operates [an ATV],” said Mayor Cal Huntley, who announced the measure at Tuesday’s council meeting. “They’re responsible for their own actions, but their own actions can impact the group at large. They need to be aware of that.”
Huntley said ATV-related complaints will be monitored over the next year to help council decide whether to allow access beyond May 2016.
“There should be no reason why this can’t continue on as long as every operator is reasonable and legal,” he said.
“It’s very important for everybody to understand that it’s a privilege. We don’t want to take it away but it’s very, very hard to police, so if people can’t look after themselves, so to speak, we have to take that privilege away.”
Council has fielded numerous complaints of ATVers traversing across parks, schoolyards and other prohibited areas.
There have also been reports of underage drivers and ATVs that are missing license plates.
A bylaw allows ATVers to travel in Flin Flon provided they obey designated routes and use the shortest path to take them outside of city limits and back.
Coun. Colleen McKee believes there is a misunderstanding around the rules.
“I think that [ATVers] assume that just because there’s snowmobile routes that, yes, now there’s an acceptance of an ATV in town to be able to drive all over the roads,” she said. “That was never the intent.”
Coun. Karen MacKinnon said the recommendation from the RCMP is to report any illegal ATV activity.
Maps of designated ATV routes are available at city hall. Coun. Leslie Beck said ATVers may obtain from their insurance provider or the Internet a copy of the Off-Road Vehicles Act, which spells out the rules for using the vehicles.
