Well call out the cavalry!

[Imbeek]

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.s...own_on_il.html


State officials present Southwick with plan to "crack down" on dirt bike and quad riders who have the balls and audacity to go against the grain of the rest of their generation, put down the video game controller, and go outside and ride their dirt bikes in circles in an abandoned tobacco field that the government took over and now considers an ultra important habitat for the grassland sparrow.

Arrest em and confiscate their dirt bikes!

That was the call by most of the 30 or so residents who showed up

Next week, they can complain about teen obesity and the heroin epidemic, but in the meantime, get those evil dirt bikers!

[MHenry600]

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.s...own_on_il.html


State officials present Southwick with plan to "crack down" on dirt bike and quad riders who have the balls and audacity to go against the grain of the rest of their generation, put down the video game controller, and go outside and ride their dirt bikes in circles in an abandoned tobacco field that the government took over and now considers an ultra important habitat for the grassland sparrow.

Arrest em and confiscate their dirt bikes!

That was the call by most of the 30 or so residents who showed up

Next week, they can complain about teen obesity and the heroin epidemic, but in the meantime, get those evil dirt bikers!

That was always the argument when they tried stopping people from riding the old railroad tracks too (before they paved and put a walking trail in). I sure as hell would rather have kids/parents/whoever out riding than sitting at home on their ass or hanging at someone house doing drugs.

Too many people just don't get it.

[boosten lebaron]

This state is becoming such a nazi state. Im glad i live on the ct border and can ride without troubles. Thats most of the reason i moved here. No one cares but im sure my time will come eventually.

[Imbeek]

This state is becoming such a nazi state. Im glad i live on the ct border and can ride without troubles. Thats most of the reason i moved here. No one cares but im sure my time will come eventually.

Agreed; Still, not as bad as Granby, CT, which is a mile from my house, where a recently passed ordinance makes it illegal to ride any off road or all terrain vehicle anywhere in the town, EVEN ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paul_E_D]

Booking one way flight to Chile right now...

[Imbeek]

Booking one way flight to Chile right now...

Are you goofy foot? I heard it is awesome, but cold, sharky, and all lefts

[Paul_E_D]

Nope, regular. Cold is relative, and so is sharky. Meh, at least the riding is uninhibited!

[tsorfas]

EVEN ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) that's the definition of freedom LOL (sarcasm)

2) I want to believe that with a very good lawyer you can fight and win this any day.

[Kurlon]

1) that's the definition of freedom LOL (sarcasm)

2) I want to believe that with a very good lawyer you can fight and win this any day.

Yeah, unfortunately you'd be wrong. There aren't much for limits on what a town can impose for restrictions on even your own property.

[joeswamp]

What if you ride indoors and keep the shades down?

I'd actually like to see a copy of this town law as it seems kind of crazy.

[RandyO]

the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut did not "take" that land , The Conservation Fund, a national conservation orgainzation paid $4.4 million and set restrictions and set it aside as a Wildlife Management Area

get over it, your trespassing

[breakdirt916]

no randyo...you're trespassing!

but to OP - they're just trying to keep dirtbikes/atv's off of conservation land...what's wrong with that?

the reality is that off roading just beats up the land...and it's usually not adult/responsible riders (whom are many, and you'll find them at mx338), but rather the monkey teenagers in the town...and they usually leave a 6-pack of empties with ciggy butts where they set fire to a bunch of pallets with nails in it

those dummies deserve to get cracked down on..it's conservation land, leave it alone and head to the MX track IN YOUR OWN TOWN or a secret spot where you won't bother anyone else or be bothered yourself!

[Imbeek]

A) I don't ride there. No one in my household even owns a dirt bike, quad, or snowmobile. I hike my dogs there, sometimes. Still, this trend of rich tree huggers banding together, purchasing (all the remaining) huge tracts of land, and excluding every use other than the ones they like, when it starts to become MOST of the available land in what used to be a recreation tolerated area, is troublesome. So much of the undeveloped area around here is now either state forest, conservation land, regulated open space, wetlands, rail trail, etc etc, that it's becoming more like a police state and less like the land of the free. This is especially true when they start talking about confiscation of bikes.

B) It is prohibitively expensive, and most days of the year, illegal, to ride at mx338. This newish conservation area WAS the secret spot where no one was bothered, and there aren't many others left. It is also unrealistic and unsafe to suggest that every time a kid rides his dirt bike, it should start at a gate with 39 other competing bikes on a narrow, difficult track.

C) Government officers have, in fact, taken over management/enforcement of the area (which is what I meant, not that it was "a taking"). They will directly benefit from any confiscation of bikes or quads.

D) It is getting to the point around here where dirt bikes are tolerated almost nowhere, and people have been riding that particular spot since at least 1975, that I know of. As a practical matter, if the powers that be want to catch most people who ride there, they'd better hire some faster enforcement agents, and I don't think many who qualify would be willing.

E) To call a few sand berms that will wash away in one month's rain storms, "serious damage to land" (which is how it was described at the meeting) is comical to me. These are flat sandlots. No erosion problem, no roots or utilities being damaged. A year or two later with nothing but nature's action, if riding ceased, literally no one would know bikes had ever been there.

F) To allow people to kill animals on the same land with guns, but not startle them with dirt bikes, is equally comical.

G) The animals in question are not truly endangered. This area, in general, is teeming with wildlife, and I saw a bald eagle on the mountain in my back yard a few weeks ago.

H) So much concern for the sparrows, what about the young humans? "I want my zen walk in silence, don't care if kids have nothing left to do but heroin, twinkles and video games"

I) Confiscating the bikes? Permanently and to auction them and keep the proceeds for new vehicles, trainings, trips, and enforcement toys? Have you folks seen the greed that goes along with confiscations of houses, vehicles, cash, etc in " the war on drugs"? Careful what you wish for; talk about putting the fox in charge if the hen house!

J) Good idea (not), to apprehend kids just trying to be kids, and issue criminal charges against them, so they become less employable in the future. Pfft...for riding a dirt bike?

K) People who truly love the outdoors should band together, not point fingers at each other and try to exclude those whose interest aren't identical to their own

L) The best solution here would be to recognize that today's young dirt bikers ARE the outdoor stewards of tomorrow, and set aside 10% of the land for off road vehicle use.
Utilize our limited law enforcement (and legal system!) resources to concentrate on real problem issues; there are plenty of those. Do this not to cave in, but because it is the best thing for all of us who appreciate the outdoors, now and in the future.

M) I believe that dirt bikes have some positive benefits to society, including: giving kids exercise and a reason to form a healthy lifestyle; a desire to work and make money to pay for the hobby; and the knowledge of which end of a screwdriver to hold...Not to mention being a better use of their time than many of today's available alternatives.

N) So...if laws should be enforced strictly and universally, then anyone who exceeds the speed limit by one mph should have their car, truck, or street bike confiscated and auctioned off, with half the proceeds going to the cops who caught them, because "get over it, they are willfully breaking the law."

Right?

[Imbeek]

1) that's the definition of freedom LOL (sarcasm)

2) I want to believe that with a very good lawyer you can fight and win this any day.

If an ordinance to ban all off-road vehicles is ever proposed in Southwick, I know of at least one lawyer who will be fighting it vigorously (for free).


► 0:20► 0:20
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sd4qU4bXkU

[boosten lebaron]

This pretty much what happened at my other house and one of the reasons i simply walked away from it. Look up coy hill in Ware. For decades it was a popular off road spot. Not so much for bikes but for jeeps. They had organized trail clean ups and impact awareness so they wouldnt lose it but they did anyway. Huge negative impact on the town business's. Guzik jeep and a few of the gas stations that i talked to all said they lost business when they shut it down. I remember letting full spyder crawlers in my yard because it was a good spot to prep for the trails and everyone was so nice. Then it all disappeared one day as the town and epa raided eeryone and everything. I found that very troubling and since it was a huge reason why i bought the house in the first place i decided it was a place i no longer wanted to live at so i bought my current house and literally just walked away from that one.

ps. ware sucks.

[tsorfas]

Oh ware! My job for my first 4 years here

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah, unfortunately you'd be wrong. There aren't much for limits on what a town can impose for restrictions on even your own property.

I find that very odd. I understand there are laws but they are definitely laws that protect you as well.
When you own a piece of land it is yours and the air above it as well. Period.

[Kurlon]

I find that very odd. I understand there are laws but they are definitely laws that protect you as well.
When you own a piece of land it is yours and the air above it as well. Period.

Lets take an example I have direct experience with. I bought my house approx 4 years ago. The town decided that because this area was originally going to be a development that they wanted to maintain the 'country/undeveloped' look from the road. As a result, I am not allowed to cut trees on my land within 75' of the road. For any reason. Green belt rule.

There are any number of routes towns can travel to prohibit ATV use even on your own land, one of the common tactics is siting 'dust' laws. See http://www.tubecityonline.com/almana..._ordinance.pdf as an example.

http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yo...#axzz2y1fBktx0

The other avenue is via noise ordinances, make the restrictions heavy handed enough that even with 100 acres of woods you'll be too loud at your property's border, etc. Even McGrath had to deal with this at one point.

If you're in an HOA, you're double screwed.

[FAST GSXR750]

1) that's the definition of freedom LOL (sarcasm)

2) I want to believe that with a very good lawyer you can fight and win this any day.

You can believe all you want. I live in that town and it is now a town ordinance. It was taken to Ct state court and is being enforced by local PD. Mean while you can ride your open piped street bike from the local bar at 2 am and nobody says shit. Go figure.

[Imbeek]

You can believe all you want. I live in that town and it is now a town ordinance. It was taken to Ct state court and is being enforced by local PD. Mean while you can ride your open piped street bike from the local bar at 2 am and nobody says shit. Go figure.

Yeah but look on the bright side; at least it only costs 600 a MONTH in real estate taxes on an average house in granby CT to pay for the town "services" including enactment and enforcement of Gestapo bullshit like that

[Imbeek]

When I wrote above that the kids today are being left with options of heroin, twinkles, and video games, I half expected to get some backlash that I was being too melodramatic, because I admit it does sound that way on the surface. None came. But this stuff is getting out of control, and while no one is forced to do any of those activities, having other healthy available options for our young people seems like a good idea, when possible.

In a very sad coincidence to the kind of issues I'm talking about, I just found out yesterday that a kid from Ware, who used to play hockey with my son, died from an overdose two days ago. He's the second one from that hockey team to go out that way in the past three years. 22 years old, a nice, respectful kid, good teammate and hockey player, and with parents who definitely cared for and about him. He rode dirt bikes, too. Godspeed KC...

[FAST GSXR750]

Thanks for reminding me! LOL. Town "services" pretty much suck, i don't use the school system, and the PD watches and listens to the GSXR like i'm a felon robbing a bank. But on the bright side my commute to work is 3 minutes, if i'm wearing work wear i get yelled at and told to take it easy. And i get to pay 600 a month in taxes (at least 600) Plus excise tax on all the vehicles! And i still can't ride a dirt bike in town.