FOUR-WHEELED HAZARDS

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

All-terrain vehicles threaten railroad safety

The railroad fears that ATV joyrides may cause train derailments.

 

BY JORDAN COHEN

 

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

 

NILES — Four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles that ride alongside train tracks between Niles and Girard are destabilizing the tracks and could cause a catastrophic derailment, according to a railroad executive.

 

Terry Feichtenbiner, general manager of the Ohio Central Railroad System, said the ATVs are displacing stones, which serve as ballast for the rails. Feichtenbiner said the ballast supports the weight of the train on the track and stabilizes the rails from side to side.

 

XContributor: Staff writer Shelby Schroeder

 

http://vindy.com/news/2008/jul/16/four-wheeled-hazards/

I can't stand ATV's.  Noisy as hell, and they destroy paths, fields, etc.  It's as if they want to absolutely destroy anywhere they go.  What -sshole over the age of 12 would enjoy that?

I nearly hit one in West Virginia while rounding a curve. They came flying on my side of the road, and they were not wearing helmets or really much of anything outside of pants and a shirt. Had I hit them, which I nearly did, they would have died. SUV versus ATV that has a very high probability of tipping on pavement.

 

I've seen a mother carry her child in front of her while speeding down an ATV. I did a hard U-turn and pulled in front of her, got out, and yelled at that little #@$^face. I called the cops, who came and took the child home and gave her a citation.

I have spoken to railroad engineers in Ohio who have seen ATV'ers literally jumping the tracks ahead of them in a game of "chicken".  They will drive up one side of the right-of-way (prependicular to the tracks)... leap the tracks and land on the other side.... and then repeat the move again and again.

 

I have nothing against ATV's being used in designated areas, but people who use them with no regard for either property owners or the safety of others ought to be publically flogged.

i had no idea those things were still so popular. i thought they kind of went away after all the roll-over issues in the 80's.

It would be nice if we responsible quad riders didn't have to deal with BS from trespassing riders, hillbillies that don't wear safety gear while riding double and illegal asphalt riding. Alas, nobody does anything to them! They rarely get tickets for these crimes or wind up in jail for child abuse. If the Executive Branch spent as much time on catching illegal ATV use as they did on speeders, they could probably prevent more injury and make the same amount of revenue or more. That is, for a while; outlaw riders would probably wise up pretty quickly.

 

Ohio overregulates legal ATV use on public land, requiring a state registration plus a daily permit. Not bad at first, but secondhand ATV sales were done on a handshake for so long (and still are in many cases) that its difficult if not impossible to register a used quad purchased before 2002. Not only that, but out-of-state riders are required to go to an Ohio BMV office and buy a full Ohio state registration even if their paperwork is completely in order in their home state. Few other states do this. If we can't get some riders to even put on a pair of shoes before they get on a quad, how can we expect them to go through all these steps to ride legally? Legal riding areas are much more fun, properly maintained and are designed for minimal environmental impact and almost all riders prefer them.

 

On the other hand, the problem in West Virginia is underregulation. It's not illegal to ride ATVs on asphalt roads with no centerline. Idiots can ride triple past a State Policeman on a road signed for 55mph and the State Policeman can't do anything!

 

I really wish you had to take a "stupid test" to ride a quad, dirt bike or go-kart.

i had no idea those things were still so popular. i thought they kind of went away after all the roll-over issues in the 80's.

 

Three wheelers did.  Quads did not.

My brother and I have a nice woods that's marshy in spots and grows gobs of wildflowers in some areas. We maintain a few paths through it, just mowing the weeds and cutting any brush that grows in them, but we don't go in there much during mosquito season because they're horrendous.

 

A few years ago I took my first walk in a while, in the fall after things had cooled off. I discovered the paths all torn to hell and muddy, with quad tracks all over the place and up and down the creek bank.

 

A little investigation turned up the culprits, a neighbor kid about 13 or 14 and his buddies. My brother wanted to call the sheriff and charge them with trespassing, but I just went over and had a nice, polite chat with the neighbor kid's mom about private property and habitat destruction, and we haven't had any more problems.

 

The nature of the soil and native vegetation there isn't suited to any kind of transportation other than walking and an occasional pass with a small tractor for maintenance work. Even at that, I've gotten a tractor hellish stuck there in spring.