BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer
SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Township police announced that they will be stepping up patrols in order to enforce ordinances on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use at public parks and private land.
The increased scrutiny comes amid increasing complaints from residents over the noise and damage they say ATVs cause.
“It is a seasonal complaint. With the warmer weather, we expect to hear more concern from area residents. Our goal is to make the public aware of the laws,” said Detective Jim Ryan, public information officer for the department.
The law specifically states that ATVs are not allowed on any public land without being first registered with the state. A township ordinance focusing on South Brunswick’s parks says that ATVs are not allowed unless its owner gets a permit from the township clerk. Violations of the ordinance can lead to the vehicle being impounded. Meanwhile, operating an ATV on private property without permission from the owner is considered a disorderly persons offense.
Police had issued a similar warning in November of last year when residents of the Summer Fields Estate housing development made complaints to police that ATV riders were driving through their property.
One area of town that residents say is frequently visited by ATV riders is Pigeon Swamp State Park. According to Jean Dvorak, whose house borders the wetlands area, the riders uproot the soil and leave big mud pits in the ground.
“When it is muddy, they ruin the ground. There are big mud pits from them all over the place,” said Dvorak. “It is illegal for them to ride in the State Park, but someone has to catch them to enforce the law.”
South Brunswick is not the only town where residents have made complaints about ATV riders. Jamesburg experienced a great deal of damage to a local park at the beginning of this year, which was blamed on riders in the area. Manalapan worked on an ordinance in response to complaints brought forth in July of last year. Howell, which already had an ordinance on the books, added fines in response to resident complaints in October of last year. In April of last year, Millstone residents, in response to repeated complaints about noise generated from the machines, pondered increasing violations of the noise ordinance to $3,000.
Old Bridge has also experienced tension between residents and ATV riders, with enforcement stepped up in June 2005. The year before that, ATV riders were blamed for a rash of vandalism in public parks, despite already having a ban.
Dale Freitas, the president of the New Jersey Off-Highway Vehicle Association, said that the problems of property damage and trespassing are symptomatic of the fact that riders have no place to go to begin with. Freitas said that riders only have one park they’re legally allowed to ride in and that’s set to close in mid-2008.
“Could you imagine what it would be like if 250,000 golfers only had one golf course to play on in New Jersey and that golf course was slated to close in 2008 without any replacement in sight?” said Freitas.
Freitas said that this would be less of an issue if the state would allow more areas to be open to riders, allowing them to legally enjoy their hobby. He said that the state has done this with mountain bikers and horse riders with good results, so why not ATVs? He added that off-roading SUV drivers also share the blame, as large tire tracks left behind that are normally attributed to ATV riders are usually the fault of SUV drivers.