BEFORE YOU RIDE... KNOW THE...
- RULES OF THE ROAD -
RIDE SAFE, RIDE SMART, RIDE SOBER
GENERAL Summary:
This by-Law which Opens SPECIFIC ROADS to ATVers, also has addition benefits for CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES RESIDENTS who live in the NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES
ATV riders can use the designated ATV route in the NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES, North of Kawartha Lakes 8 (aka GlenarmRd 8, County Rd 8), to drive their ATV's from one small town to the next for gas, food, accommodations and/or gain access to our trail systems.
The by-law also states that RESIDENTS living in the NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES, who own ATV's can drive their ATV out their driveway and head straight to the nearest link of the designated ATV route.
Example: In Bobcaygeon you can follow County Rd #8 to Main street, turn left on Main and head north on County Rd #36 to the boundary of the town. This will allow riders access to the gas station on the corner of County Rd #36 & County Rd # 49. Residents living in in the settlement of Bobcaygeon north of County Rd # 8 and west of Main St can drive their ATV from their residence to the designated route.
EXCEPTIONS
- This By-law does not include PROVINCIAL HIGHWAY #35. It is still illegal to ride your ATV on Highway #35.
- The by-law still allows the previous ATV road access we had through Fenelon Falls [a.k.a. VRTC Road Link) with the addition of County Rd #8 to County Rd # 121 and County Rd #121 to County Rd #8 at Northline road. [max Speed is 20Km/hr]
- For all roads within and for residents living in the settlement area of Fenelon Falls, you can NOT drive your ATV from your house to the trail and MUST continue to trailer your bike to the nearest Staging area and ride from there.
- For all roads within and for residents living south of County Rd #8, you can NOT drive your ATV from your house to the trail, you MUST continue to trailer your bike to the nearest Staging area and ride from there.
- For all roads within and for residents living in the settlement of Bobcaygeon south of County Rd # 8 , you can NOT drive your ATV from your house to the trail and MUST continue to trailer your bike to the nearest Staging area and ride from there.
Please get out there on your ATV's and show these small towns the tourist dollar they have been missing out on!! Spend your money!!
THIS BYLAW DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN DRIVE YOUR ATV TO YOUR BUDDY'S HOUSE OR RUN UP AND DOWN EVERY ROAD IN TOWN. PLEASE OBEY THE BYLAW's RULES OR RISK LOSING IT FOR EVERYONE.
Opening Roads to ATV accessibility in the Northern part of the City of Kawartha Lakes
June 9, 2009
By-law passes 3rd reading and becomes law!
It came down to another nail biter but in the end the vote was 9 to 8 in favour of passing the by-law. The ATV roads by-law officially came into effect on June 9th, 2009. This is a huge win for the ATVing community in the City of Kawartha Lakes. We will post the official by-law shortly and post a summary of what the by-law really means for you. Stay tuned........
June 2, 2009
By-law passes 1st & 2nd reading!!!
After much heated debate and some confusion the roads by-law was put to a vote. Seven councilors voted in favour and Seven voted against, Mayor McGee broke the tie and voted in favour! The By-law has passed 1st and 2nd reading and will be officially finalized at the June 9th council meeting.
What does all this mean for you as an ATVer. Effective June 9, 2009 if you live on or north of Glenarm Rd (County Rd 8) from Woodville to Bobcaygeon you will be able to legally drive your ATV from your home directly to the nearest arterial road route or trail head. The arterial road route will allow ATVers to travel from Woodville in the west to Bobcaygeon in the east and north to Norland, Coboconk and Kinmount. This is a huge win for the ATVing community but just as important for all the small business owners who fought hard to get us this access, so please get out there, spend your money at these local shops, show these business owners your appreciation.
Once the by-law is finalized a copy will be posted on this website for all to access. Please remember this by-law is only for a 1 year trial basis, so please follow the speed limits, respect your neighbours and get out there and spend your money!!
May 27, 2009
Roads Report from City finalized
The long awaited City Roads report has been completed and will be submitted to City council during a special council meeting scheduled for June 2, 2009. This report was completed by the City of Kawartha Lakes Public Works department with input from the KATVA, the city, surrounding cities and the public meeting held in March. This long awaited report will hopefully pave the way for ATVers to access some roads for travel in the northern part of the City. This plan if approved will allow ATVers to connect to trail systems in the Western part of our City, as well as provide ATVers access to all the local towns in the north. This could be a huge boost to the local economy in the North. Please ensure you attend this meeting and show your support. Meeting starts at 1pm at City Hall in the council chambers, see you all there. Cross your fingers...............
March 25, 2009
Overwhelming Success!
The KATVA and over 182 people in support of opening roads attended the Public meeting held in Coboconk. There were 20 speakers that were allowed 2 minutes each to speak. 10 spoke in favour and 10 spoke against the proposed plan. The Lindsay this Week reported "It's a hot topic, but people kept their cool". Pam Balabuck, representing 25 business owners in Coboconk & Norland drew cheers and applause when she cited the challenges faced by businesses in the City's remote areas, especially when snowmobiling season closes. "We need the revenue of ATV riders in the off seasons" Snowmobiles and farm tractors are Ok, but ATVs are not? she asked. "Our livelihoods are at stake here!" There was no mistaking that most of the crowd was ATV owners & enthusiasts; those opposed to the bylaw were treated with courtesy and respect as they had their say. The report from this meeting is expected to back to council by the May 2009 council meeting
December 2, 2008
At the Development & Public Works Services Committee meeting the report PW-2008-051 was reviewed and received. It recommended that a public meeting be held to solicit the input from the public with respect to the proposed network. A public meeting was scheduled for March 25, 2009 at the Coboconk Community Centre
October 21, 2008
The KATVA submitted a roads proposal to the Public Works Services Committee requesting that the City pass a by-law in accordance with the Highway traffic act to permit ATV to access some roads north of County Road 8. A resolution was passed to have a report prepared and presented at the December 2, 2008 Public Works committee along with comments from the Kawartha Lakes OPP, the Trails Advisory Committee, the Agricultural Advisory committee, the Tourism Advisory Committee and Municipal staff.
- KATVA ROAD NEWS ... ARCHIVE
Opening Roads to ATV accessibility in the Southern part of the City
April 4, 2009
The KATVA held an information and education session at the Pontypool community centre to discuss the first steps in the process of opening roads to ATV travel in the southern part of the city. Over one hundred residences and ATV ethanists attended the meeting. David Marsh, the local councilor and an OPP officer also attended. ATV riders were educated on the rules in their area, noting that currently no roads are open to ATV travel in their area, including the trail on Hwy 35. Several residents from the Devils elbow area voiced there concerns that ATVs continue to ride roads in there area and business owners along Hwy 35 near Pontypool were concerned with the ATV travel on the trail running in the ditch along Hwy 35. Many ATVers did not realize that roadways are considered fence row to fence row and riding in the ditch is still against the law. Our proposed roads plan was well received with little changes suggested. Attendees were advised that our roads plan will go forward to council in late fall or early winter. Stay tuned...........
Galway-Cavendish & Harvey Roads Open to ATV travel
The GCH Road By-law is up for review. Please mark your calendars to attend the GHC Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday August 4th starting at 1pm. The council meeting will be held at the Council Chambers / GHC Municipal Offices located on County Rd 36, north east of Bobcaygeon. We need to ensure the by-law stays in effect. Come out and show your support!!
Thanks to the KATVA's hard work on August 19, 2008 the Corporation of the Township of Galway-Cavendish and Harvey passed a bylaw to regulate the operation of ATV on municipal highways.
The by-law states ATVs shall be permitted on all municipally owned roads which lie north of Pigeon Lake. The permitted roads shall include all municipally owned roads both in Galway and Cavendish wards, and the roads north of Pigeon Lake in Harvey ward.
County Roads are under the jurisdiction of the County of Peterborough and are not included in this by-law.
KATVA NEEDS YOUR HELP
THERE IS AN ONLINE PETITION THAT WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH.
We need to get the word to council that there are many ATV'ers in this area that would like to get roads open.
Galway-Cavendish & Harvey Roads STAY Open to ATV travel
At the meeting (Tue. Aug.4th) the Council of Galway-Cavendish-Harvey, voted overwhelming to renew the road by-law. In addition they made a revision to remove the temporary 1 year trial period from the original By-law and make it permanet. We no longer have to present our case each year.
Steve Lane, our Past-President, made a flawless presentation of our club's past achievements, and our willingness to work toward common goals. Steve stated "As a club we have not received any direct complaints about the open road concept. " Reeve Flynn did say a written complaint was received by council but it did not involve any of our club members.
New brochures and a mock up of a street sign showing speed limits for ATVs on township roads were received in good faith by Council and we promised to install them where necessary.
ROADS
... ON THIS PAGE YOU WILL FIND THE FOLLOWING TOPICS ...
- APPLICABLE LINKS (also see our Links page)
- RULES OF THE ROAD (For Ontario)
- ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE - SET FINES (Provinical Offences Act)
- ROAD BY-LAWS (City of Kawartha Lakes, Galway-Cavendish & Harvey)
- KATVA OPEN ROADS
- KATVA ROAD NEWS - ARCHIVE
FOR ONTARIO - RULES & GUIDELINES - FOR ATV's
Road Travel by an ATV in Ontario is subject to additional Rules and Regulations as defined in the OFF ROAD VEHICLE ACT , the HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ACT and MINSTRY OF TRANSPORT - ORV LEGISLATION. ONTARIO REGULATION 316/03, made under the HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ACT describes the OPERATION OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES ON HIGHWAYS.
We are not lawyers or legal types and while we believe the following condensed version to be accurate, it is however the responsibility of the Driver to be fully aware of ALL the rules. Failure to adhere to the Rules of the Road, can and most likely will, result in Charges, Fines or Worse. Please keep in mind how visible we are when riding on roads and that Non-ATVers perception of ALL ATVers can be affected by the actions of even a couple of negligent riders.
GENERAL
- ATV MUST MEET THE DEFINITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE OFF ROAD VEHICLE ACT
- ATV MUST MEET THE DEFINITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ACT 316/03
- ALL ATV ROAD USE IS GOVERNED BY THE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ACT
- PENALTIES, FINES, CHARGES ARE IN ACCORDANCE WITH HWY TRAFFIC ACT.
- IT IS THE OPERATORS RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ACT REGULATIONS
- CERTAIN SPECIFIC ROADS /ROAD SECTIONS ARE PROHIBITED TO ALL ORV's & ATV's
- LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES MAY OPEN SPECIFIC MUNICIPAL ROADS WITHIN IN THEIR JURISTICTION
BY MEANS OF A BYLAW. E.G. COKL BYLAW 2009-116
- ATV ROAD USE MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY AND ALL LOCAL MUNICIPAL BYLAWS
- IT IS THE OPERATORS RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW ALL LOCAL BYLAWS WHERE THEY ARE RIDING
- LOCAL MUNICIPAL BYLAWS MAY AFFIX ADDITIONAL, TIME OF YEAR, TIME OF DAY AND SPEED RESTRICTIONS. KATVA SPECIFIC is 7:00am to 9:00pm
- ATV MUST BE OPERATED AS DRIVER ONLY. NO PASSENGERS ALLOWED**
- ATV OPERATOR MUST BE 16 YEARS OLD (OR OLDER) AND HAVE VALID DRIVERS LICENSE
- ATV MUST BE PLATED AND INSURED
- ATV MUST BE DRIVEN WITH HEADLIGHTS ON
- ATV MUST HAVE WORKING BRAKE LIGHTS AND SIDE MARKERS AS PER ORV SPEC's
- ATV MUST MEET RECOMMENDED / ACCEPTABLE NOISE LEVELS
- *ATV MUST NOT EXCEED PERMITTED SPEEDS DEPENDING ON ROAD (MAX 20KM/HR or MAX 50KM/HR)
- *ATV MUST BE DRIVEN ON SHOULDER OF ROAD (IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS TRAFFIC)
* VARIOUS RULES, RESTRICTIONS AND EXCEPTIONS APPLY ON ABOVE 2* (See Links Above)
- ATV OPERATOR MUST SIGNAL ALL TURNS
- ATV OPERATOR MUST OBEY ALL TRAFFIC SIGNS AND LIGHTS
- ATV MUST BE DRIVEN IN A SAFE , RESPONSIBLE MANNER
- ATV MUST STAY OFF SIDEWALKS AND OUT OF DITCHES
** IN REGARDS TO ATV's AND ROAD/HIGHWAY USAGE IN ONTARIO:
** DRIVER ONLY. NO PASSENGERS ALLOWED **
IN ONTARIO, IT DOES NOT MATTER
- WHAT ROAD/HIGHWAY YOU ARE ON, OR
- WHAT MANUFACTURER, or MODEL OF ATV YOU HAVE
IN ONTARIO, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO OPERATE
- ANY ATV WITH A PASSENGER
- ON OR ACROSS
- ANY ROAD OR HIGHWAY IN ONTARIO.
[NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RULES, THE BEST THING TO DO WOULD BE TO PHONE, WRITE, EMAIL AND SIGN PETITIONS AIMED AT YOUR PROVINICAL REPESENTATIVES AND MINISTRIES. ATV ASSOCIATIONS INCLUDING KATVA ARE FIGHTING TO GET THIS LAW CHANGED FOR CERTAIN MODELS, BUT YOUR VOICE NEEDS TO BE HELPING AS WELL. WE CAN NOT DO IT ALONE.
Please take a minute and sign this petition & express your opinion.
ONLY WITH YOUR HELP can we get this through and get some laws changed.
- RULES OF THE ROAD
- ROAD BY-LAWS
THE KAWARTHA ATV ASOCIATION HAS LED THE FIGHT TO OPEN
ROADS NOT ONLY IN THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES BUT ALSO
IN THE TOWNSHIP OF GALWAY-CAVENDISH AND HARVEY AND
PETERBOROUGH COUNTY.
WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THE PAST AND WE
CONTINUE TO LOBBY FOR MORE OPEN ROADS FOR OUR MEMBERS.
- KATVA OPEN ROADS
THIS IS A PARTIAL BASIC LISTING.
FOR COMPLETE RULES PLEASE SEE ABOVE LINKS
- LINKS APPLICABLE TO ROAD USE IN ONTARIO
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE
AND
WHEREVER ROAD USE IS PERMITTED
THE BYLAW DOES NOT APPLY TO THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES SOUTH of KAWARTHA LAKES 8 (aka GlenarmRd 8, County Rd 8). WE ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR IT.
If you Live in the City of Kawartha Lakes, please help us in our fight to Open Roads in the southern part of the city. Please contact your Council Member(s) and let them know you support KATVA in their Open Roads initiative.
- ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE - SET FINES
The Ontario Court of Justice under the Provinical Offense Act, has laid out SET FINES in relation to specific offences. These SET FINES are for breaking the rules within Other Acts such as the HTA 316/03, the ORV ACT, the Trespass to Property Act etc etc.
These SET FINES are to be intreperted as the typical/minimum for the fine. Please keep in mind that if in the eyes of the Police you are being careless, reckless or otherwise operating the ATV in a manner that potentially could cause injury to yourself or someone else, you could get charged with a more serious offence all the way up to criminal charges. Also Note talking back and arguing with Law Enforcement might also find you with a bunch more infractions.
OPERATING an ATV on a ROAD or HIGHWAY must be treated as SERIOUSLY as we would when driving our cars and trucks.
Also keep in mind there are also Municipal By-Laws Fines which would/could be in addition to the Provinicial Fines
Please see the Ontario Court of Justice Website for full listings
