Street-legal golf carts are now available to rent in Vancouver, and can be driven on the city’s roads without fear of the driver getting a ticket.
It’s good news for the city, and those looking for more transportation alternatives, but frustrating for the Quad Riders ATV Association of British Columbia (ATVBC). The organization has been lobbying the province for several years to create a licensing process for off-road vehicles (ORVs), so that riders in rural areas can legally drive on highways and streets.
It would mean that riders leaving trails would be able to get easy access to amenities like gas stations, restaurants, stores, and accommodation, which would in turn bring economic benefits to rural communities. ATVBC has been advocating for this access for off-road vehicles, with little response thus far.
“If Vancouver can find a way to allow ORV access in a busy metropolitan area to serve their tourists, why can’t rural communities have the same opportunity to allow ORV access into their communities to promote tourism and build economic opportunities?” says Chris D’Silva, president of ATVBC.
Off-road vehicles include quads, side-by-sides, snowmobiles, off-road motorcycles, and snowmobiles. At the moment, ORV operators in B.C. can cross a highway without having to get an operation permit, but only if they do so at a crossing controlled by a traffic light or stop sign. They can only legally be driven on a highway or road where it is authorized by local police, and within the limits set out in an operation permit, which the operator of the ORV must obtain.
While ATVBC says this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to create a process available to all supportive communities, without the authority being held solely by the RCMP.
“All it takes is one detachment commander not in support and the program fails, even with community support,” says Kristin Parsons, Executive Director for ATVBC. “Not to mention the added administrative pressure it puts on local police when communities could be leading this process in a more efficient manner.”
More than two years ago, the Village of Clinton looked into the idea of creating a bylaw that would allow ORV access to the community. In December 2021, Clinton council heard a delegation from the Clinton Outdoor Sportsmen Association (CADOSA) which highlighted the economic benefits that could come by allowing ATVs to use municipal streets.
The move would have allowed ATVers to get from the Gold Rush Snowmobile trailhead on Station Road into town for food, gas, and lodgings, and perhaps spend more time in Clinton, said CADOSA’s Rolly Higginbottom at the time, adding that it was an opportunity to keep people in the community rather than have them pack up and leave at the end of the trail.
At its Dec. 22, 2021 meeting Clinton council directed staff to explore the creation of a bylaw for ORV access to the community. The bylaw never went ahead, but Coun. David Park of Clinton is part of a new ORV Working Group set up by the Union of BC Municipalities, and which will examine ways to facilitate easier ORV access to highways and public roads.
It’s part of ATVBC’s continuing push for changes to the Off-Road Vehicle Act, to create a fair and equitable approach to ORV access, and for the addition of licensing for ORVs for travel on roadways, which will create routes from trails into communities.
“Seeing government work with larger communities like Vancouver to allow for the use of ORVs for tourism further supports ATVBC’s call to the province to support rural communities for the same purpose,” says Parsons. “We need government to address our concerns with the current ORV management framework and make changes to allow for a more efficient process.
“This type of riding is a huge draw for tourists, and many communities in the United States benefit enormously from this access and collaboration. It represents ORV tourism opportunities and allows communities to address safety and accessibility concerns proactively. There is no clear reason for the B.C. government not to support us in making these changes.”
