California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have denied the off-highway vehicle community a long-overdue opportunity for additional motorized recreation at the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area. Assembly Bill 1086, introduced in the last days of the legislative session, was a “gut and amend” bill that used language from the failed Senate Bill 767. Both bills would have declared the 3,100-acre Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area to be surplus property, making it available for sale. Newsom’s veto message cited a lack of evidence regarding mismanagement of the property. The agency that oversees the property has procedures in place for disposing of unneeded property. Carnegie SVRA has been part of the California State Parks system since 1980, when the site was acquired by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Prior to that, the site was privately owned and was enjoyed by generations of motorized recreationists, including a period when it was operated as a private motorcycle park.

Using a $700,000 federal grant, the California Highway Patrol developed the Get Educated and Ride Safe II campaign, or GEARS II, to promote motorcycle safety and awareness. The GEARS II goal is to reduce the number of crashes and crash victims. With the grant, the regions with the highest number of motorcycle incidents will see increased safety operations. A year-long series of safety education campaigns, including the “May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month,” is planned. The campaigns will promote the use of motorcycle helmets that meet U.S. Department of Transportation standards and will work to increase motorists’ awareness of motorcyclists on the road. The campaigns will also focus on the most dangerous traffic violations, including speeding, improper turning and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Funding came from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Colorado

The U.S. Forest Service is decommissioning illegal roads and trails in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests’ Gunnison Ranger District, beginning with 14 miles of roads and trails in areas north of the Trading Post, south of Trail 765, and an area near Union Park.

“These trails have existed for some time, causing considerable resource damage, leading to erosion of hillsides that contaminates aquatic habitats,” Kimberleee Phillips, GMUG public affairs officer, told the Crested Butte News. “The routes have been created by vehicles driving off designated routes, into the vegetation.”

She said the illegal routes do not receive regular maintenance, which can lead to dangerous conditions for riders.

Maine

Steve Salisbury, AMA government relations manager for off-highway issues, attended the fourth of six planned meetings of the Maine Governor’s ATV Task Force in October. The task force is charged with six tasks, primarily considering ATV trail funding and the size and weight of vehicles allowed on Maine’s state-administered 6,500-mile ATV trail system, nearly all of which is on private land. Before the task force meeting, Salisbury huddled with members of the AMA-chartered Pine Tree Trail Riders and with Maine AMA State Chapter coordinator John Painter. The state’s off-highway motorcycle riders are concerned, because two influential task force members suggested revising the ATV definition to exclude OHMs, ending riders’ legal access to the trails. During the public comment portion of the task force meeting, Salisbury described the AMA’s familiarity with private land issues, highlighted misconceptions around OHM trail use, addressed best management practices for OHM trails, noted the available OHV ethics messaging and strongly supported OHM registration options that would encourage club membership.

Maryland

Ninety-two percent of those commenting on a proposal to reduce tolls for motorcyclists favored the idea. Seven percent opposed it. And 1 percent were neutral. The Maryland Transportation Authority has proposed reducing tolls for motorcycles by 50 percent, among other changes. Of the 287 comments received, 167 addressed the motorcycle proposal. The AMA put out a call in July to support the proposal and also urge officials to simply eliminate the tolls for motorcycles. A final decision on the proposal is expected by the end of the year. The MTA report is available for download here.

New York

The Adirondack Council filed a lawsuit Oct. 7 against the town of Clare in St. Lawrence County over its use of a road through a forest preserve as an all-terrain vehicle trail. The lawsuit seeks to overturn a law passed this year by the town that authorized the use of the road by ATVs. The Grass River Wild Forest holds about 14,000 acres of forest preserve, which is managed with three conservation easements—Grass River, Tooley Pond and Long Pond—for a total of more than 125,000 acres of public access. ATV use is allowed on the conservation easements, according to a report by NNY360.com.