PLEASANT VIEW — It is now legal to ride an All Terrain Vehicle on the streets of Pleasant View, and it does not matter whether it is type one or type two.
The ATV must be street legal and the driver must have a drivers license. Some of the requirements for the ATV to be street legal is that it be registered, licensed and insured. It also will need to have a lighted speedometer, side view mirrors, brake lights, head lights and a horn. Some type of eye protection must also be worn, or the ATV needs to have a windshield.
Police Chief Scott Jackson said those riding ATVs on city streets must abide by all traffic laws, beside the ATV meeting the requirements to be street legal.
“As it is advertised, this does not open the roads to just anyone who wants to jump on an ATV and ride on the road,” said Mayor Doug Clifford. “It’s really quite restrictive. You cannot just hop on dad’s rig and ride it around town.”
“How are we going to enforce this if we pass this ordinance?” asked Councilman Todd Walker, “Everybody thinks they can just go out and start riding.”
“The police department will have to observe it,” said Councilman Tim Hjorten. “I do have some concerns with kids racing around with them. We have laws in place, speed limit laws. My major concern is the visibility of these vehicles in front of our gravel haulers, but it is also a personal responsibility.”
Hjorten said those who drive other vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles also have to take personal responsibility.
“With the limitations we have, I think we are OK,” said Hjorten. “If there is an issue with a group racing around, then we call the police and have it taken care of.”
“They would get the exact same citation as in a vehicle or motorcycle,” said Jackson. He said a speeding ticket is $99 for five miles per hour over the speed limit and goes up from there.
“There may be a learning curve for some people,” said Clifford.
Allen asked what kind of citation people would receive if the ATV were not street legal.
Jackson said it would be an equipment citation the same as someone might receive if their turn signal were not working.
“We have to step away from the recreational vision we have of those types of vehicles,” said Jackson. “We place them on the street they will be slowing to a stop, not gunning through the sand dunes.”
Clifford said the city had received two letters from people against making the ATVs street legal and neither writer is a resident of the city. He said one was concerned about noise.
Council members voted unanimously to approve making ATVs legal on city streets, and one resident in the council was quite pleased with the approval since he had rode his ATV to the meeting.
Councilman Tim Hjorten pointed out it would still not be legal to ride the ATVs on Highway 89 or 2700 North.
City Administrator J.J. Allen said he believed they could ride just to cross on these streets. He also said the city had been discussing the idea of ATVs on city streets and decided to do away with any definition of type one or type two in the ordinance.
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