Off-road vehicles will be allowed in more places across Chatham-Kent.
On Monday, municipal council approved a new bylaw amendment that will allow off-road vehicles to operate on certain roads across the municipality.
Off-road vehicles will be able to operate in Camden Township on Kent Line between Mandaumin Road and Mawlam Road. In Chatham Township on Kent Line between Water Street and Mandaumin Road, and on Whitebread Line between St. Clair Parkway and Nelson Street. In Orford on Clachan Road between Turin Line and Highway 401, on MacPherson Road between Highway 401 and Muirkirk Line, and on MacPherson Road between McMillan Line and Talbot Trail. In Zone on Euphemia Line between Limerick Road and Downie Road.
The previous bylaw prevented the use of off-road vehicles on some shared highways surrounding Chatham-Kent. Off-road vehicles are permitted to operate on Chatham-Kent highways from a half-hour after sunrise to one-half hour before sunset. This use is limited to off-road vehicles classified as all-terrain vehicles, multi-purpose off-highway utility vehicles, and recreational off-highway vehicles.
"When the off-road vehicle bylaw was passed in 2017, the Highway Traffic Act prohibited their use on municipal highways unless bylaws were passed to permit them. At the time the municipalities surrounding Chatham-Kent did not have bylaws in place to permit off-road vehicles on their highways. Therefore, all highways shared between Chatham-Kent and the adjacent municipality were designated as restricted in the Off-Road Vehicle Bylaw," wrote Engineer Mark Ceppi in a report to council.
The former President of the defunct Chatham-Kent ATV Club Vince Masse said there was some confusion in the northern and eastern boundaries in the past and this amendment should clear up the rules for the riders.
"There was a lot of confusion in that area. The boundary and people didn't know. That's probably a good idea," said Masse.
Masse said the municipality has a great ATV bylaw system and the largest ATV road bylaw structure in Canada that attracts business and tourism from the London and Windsor area.
"I know about three or four times a year they do a group thing. They'll come into Chatham-Kent and park in Merlin for example and go to Erieau and Blenheim for lunch and make a day out of it," he said.
Masse said off-road riders can use 900 kilometres of the 1,200 kilometres of road in Chatham-Kent.
Each of the highway sections recommended for off-road vehicle use is local rural roads with gravel surfaces. The posted speed limit on each highway is 80 km/h and traffic volumes are low.