KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | Wasilla considers teaching ATV drivers rules of the road

Wasilla considers teaching ATV drivers rules of the road

by Lori Tipton
Friday, October 23, 2009

WASILLA, Alaska -- In Wasilla, city officials are looking at ways to address the use and abuse of all-terrain vehicles inside city limits. Residents were asked to weigh in on the issue by filling out an online survey.

City Council members asked Mayor Verne Rupright to conduct an ATV survey after some residents complained that a lot of dangerous activity involving ATVs is happening inside the city.

"Wasilla is very big with ATVs because there is a lot of trails," said Dan Dube of North Country ATV, based out of Anchorage. "There is a lot of area for them to ride."

ATVs are a popular mode of transportation for residents in Wasilla.

"Everywhere you go, there's snowmachines in the yard," Rupright said. "There's four-wheelers, there's dirt bikes. People do move out here for that."

The survey was posted on the city's Web site. It had 10 questions on possible age limits, education, training, registration and identification for ATV drivers.

"It was probably a good idea at this time to get a finger on the pulse, find out what people thought," Rupright said.

The final question on the survey asked if ATVs should be allowed inside the city. The majority said yes -- but some want more restrictions.

One hundred and forty people responded. Most agreed with requiring ATV drivers to be at least 15 years old, have registration and identification, and observe a speed limit of 10 mph inside city limits.

Instead of new rules, some council members call for increased enforcement of existing codes. Rupright says park rangers and police did just that last summer, after he had a run-in with ATV drivers.

"I was being raced down the road this summer by two young fellas on minibikes down the sidewalk as I was driving on the street," Rupright said. He believes the enforcement helped reduce ATV misuse.

"(The enforcement), to a certain degree, brought a lot of that recklessness under control," Rupright said, "and began a process of getting them off the sidewalks and out of the parks and onto the designated right-of-ways through the city."

"They should be ridden on trails, gravel roads, away from subdivisions, and definitely off the pavement for safety reasons," said Dube, of North Country ATV.

Dube says riders need to be made aware of the rules and requirements. He is urging the city to do that.

"They should make the public aware that four-wheelers are fun, they are safe, but they are appropriate," Dube said.

Rupright says the city does plan to educate the public a little better on what the current rules are, in an effort to cut down on complaints.

"I believe most people being what they are in good nature will follow the rules, rather than lose the privilege," Rupright said.

Contact Lori Tipton at ltipton@ktuu.com