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Council OKs ban on ATVs

April 28, 2008 @ 10:59 PM

BRYAN CHAMBERS

The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Huntington City Council adopted an ordinance Monday banning all-terrain vehicles from public streets and government property.

The unanimous vote comes on the heels of law enforcement officials expressing concern about children driving ATVs on city streets without protective gear and the vehicles causing erosion around the floodwall in Westmoreland.

"They're causing a lot of danger, not only for the driver of an ATV, but also for pedestrians and motorists," Mayor David Felinton said.

The West Virginia Legislature banned ATVs from roads with center lines in 2004, but the legislation didn't address helmet use or limit the number of people who can ride on an ATV. Since then, some cities in the state have further restricted ATV use.

Ninety-nine people died from ATV-related injuries in the state in 2006 and 2007.

Councilman Jim Ritter, who represents Westmoreland, said ATVs have become a nuisance in his neighborhood. The ordinance should act as a deterrent if residents report ATV use on public property to police, he said.

"I've gotten so many complaints about them, mainly because of the noise," Ritter said. "I don't like them because we've got a bunch of nuts in Huntington riding around with their kids on front of these things."

Ritter said riders have built ramps near the levee in Westmoreland. The levee has become such an attraction to ATV riders that tire marks are starting to cause erosion, he said.

"That's something we need to watch for, because it could affect all of Huntington if there's erosion," Ritter said.

Huntington resident Chuck Frazier said he agrees that ATVs don't belong on public streets, but asked Felinton and council members if they have considered finding a safe place for ATV riders in the city. He suggested an area near the Guyandotte boat ramp and an area west of Harris Riverfront Park that used to serve as a tent encampment for homeless people.

"I live in town and with fuel costs, it gets harder and harder to ride when I have to travel 25 or 30 miles to get to the nearest trail," he said.

Frazier said the American Motorcycle Association is willing to help the city establish a riding area.