New off-road vehicle (ORV) regulations being put in place in British Columbia are one step toward more effective enforcement and better safety in the operation of snowmobiles, quads and dirt bikes in the province, the head of Squamish's snowmobile association said this week.
The Off Road Vehicle Act, introduced in the legislature on Feb. 24, would establish a registration system for motorized recreational vehicles, allow for the development of safety standards (including the wearing of helmets) for users and help conservation and police officers the ability to track stolen equipment and take action against those who damage property or the environment while riding.
The act was drawn up after extensive consultation with ORV organizations in B.C. dating back more than a decade, officials said.
"Among other benefits, this legislation will offer security of ownership and improved safety standards for the riders of ORVs," Jeremy McCall, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C., said in a statement, "and it will provide for higher standards of compliance and enforcement, which will benefit non-motorized recreationists."
The licencing provisions of the act - requiring that ORVs must be registered through the Insurance Corporation of B.C. and display a licence plate before they can be operated on Crown or other public land - is a welcome development for most users, Tony Cailes, president of the Black Tusk Snowmobile Club, said on Monday (March 3).
Requiring that such vehicles are licenced is in keeping with the practice in other jurisdictions that treat ORVs as vehicles, registered on the owners' driver's licences, Cailes said.
Snowmobilers have been able to register their sleds in B.C. since the 1970s, but the new act will standardize registration of all manner of ORVs in the province, Cailes said.
"It's a motor vehicle so it should follow the lines of a vehicle, even if it's on an FSR (forest service road)," he said.
"Whether or not people will actually do it is another matter," Cailes added. "This law lacks a little bit of teeth on the enforcement side of things. I expect there will be a little bit of evolution on this over the next few years."
One of the Black Tusk club's key missions has always been to promote safe and responsible sledding, Cailes said. Most sledders already wear helmets and practice safe, responsible sledding, but a set of enforceable regulations should help limit the chances for unnecessary mishaps, he said.
"It's unneeded, almost," he said. "From everything that I've seen, there are very few people who are not already complying with this."
