Comments on: ATV Use On Local Streets?

By: mark

mark — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:16:54 +0000

lets get all the atvs on the road, since gas seems to be presently out of our control. i’m tired of sitting back. we all know what it takes to survive. my atvs are simply more safe than those little 48cc skooters being bought by people who haven’t a clue on how to properly drive one. it’s plain stupid we sit back and spend our hard earned dollars on gas for out trucks and suv’s. i have motorcycles but can’t carry much on them. we let idots make all the decisions because were all so busy chasing the dollar ,supporting out families.it’s not getting better,and nobody is saying what we all know deep down is the problem. weve turned ourselves into a pathethic nation who lets the media run our lives. i for one will be using my atv for trips to the store,and if i owned a golf cart i’d use that too…

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:31:37 +0000

Now to get all the haves to agree with us have-nots.

By: Bob Blurton

Bob Blurton — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:06:42 +0000

The “Peak Oil” situation that appears to be occuring now will go much smoother if government changes regulations quickly to match our new reality.

We need to quickly dump restrictions that impede efficiencies from being realized.

Transport options need to be widened.

Restrictions on growing food and keeping animals in the city need to be revisited often.

Building regulations need to be changed to allow for tiny houses, built inexpensively. New houses need to be zero-energy.

Land owners should not be able to keep their land in an unproductive state. Vacant lots need to be given over to micro-farming by those who cannot afford the escalating food prices.

The days of posing for the Jones’s and all trying to (appear) live the American dream are coming to a close. We now need to figure out how to house and feed everyone, as well as keep people employed doing things that will increase our chances of a stable and safe future.

The times they are a changin’.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:04:10 +0000

So I finally got a response from city legal shortly before this article was posted. Here’s what an attorney at their office had to say…

“Our Office appreciates your e-mail. Sorry for the delayed response.

From the research I’ve done, I believe ATV’s to be street legal if the driver has:
A driver’s license;
Registered the vehicle;
Titled the vehicle;
And liability insurance on the vehicle.

Note: Registration and Proof of Insurance must be carried on or with the vehicle when in operation.

Plus, the vehicle must also have:
Headlamps, tail lamps, brakes, brake lights, reflectors, rear viewing mirrors, and a horn.

Any vehicle that travels on the streets or highways will be subject to all the rules of the roadway.

This information is a conclusion of my legal research and is my opinion as to the law. My opinion is not intended to be legal advice.

Please be advised that not all officers will be apprized as to ATV rules and regulations.

I hope this answers your questions.”

By: Gordon

Gordon — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:07:40 +0000

I don’t know where ericn gets the mpg info, but I know my second-hand ATV will run for hours on a gallon, even while dragging a tooth-and-scraper device to smooth out our gravel driveways.
As for the tires; yep, the soft tires designed for off-road-only use don’t hold up well on pavement. Duh! Obviously, anyone planning to use an ATV on streets would get tires designed for that purpose (or multi-purpose, as most of us have on our pickups, so they hold up well on pavement and still give a good grip on gravel, dirt, snow, sand and whatever).
As for the noise: a good four-stroke engine with a proper muffler should be no louder than many cars and motorcycles, and not so loud as many Harleys.
Properly written laws and a little common sense can easily defuse the problems cited.
(The only engines I hear going by my house, about a quarter-mille from the road, are gravel trucks, Harleys and Hummers. I hear the ATVs and dirt bikes on the other side of the canal *only* when some idiot revs ’em up to go 35 mph in first or second gear, instead of shifting.)

By: Gordon

Gordon — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:18:25 +0000

I live four miles from the nearest store, five miles from downtown in a small city. It always seems silly to have to fire up my 4-wheel-drive pickup (which I have to have for other reasons) when I just want to go to a store or a cafe.
I don’t understand the concerns about safety of ATVs on the road. They’re a heck of a lot safer than the two-wheeled ones (motorcycles and bicycles), since they don’t fall over and dump the rider in front of a car or truck or semi when they hit a pothole, a bump, a slick spot or whatever.
They weigh a few hundred pounds instead of a couple of thousand, so of course get many times the miles on a gallon of gas.
And, yes, there three-wheeled motorcycles — if you haven’t noticed them around Boise, you just haven’t been looking.
And, of course, a side-car turns any motorcycle into a three-wheeler. So why is a four-wheeled motorcycle (ATV) thought to be less safe?
ATVs should come under the same laws as any other open vehicles, i.e. motorcycles: have appropriate lights, turn signals, horn, brakes, etc., obey traffic laws for all vehicles, etc.
And allow parking of two or more in a space if they fit well, thus easing the parking problems a bit.
Ride safely, folks!

By: ericn1300

ericn1300 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:37:08 +0000

Most ATVs only get 25 to 30 mpg and the tires wear out very fast on asphalt. Not much of a savings there since my ’96 Pontiac four door, six seater with a trunk big enough for a couple of bodies gets 25 to 33 mpg with emission controls that those polluters don’t have. ATVs are geared for off road use, have a higher road clearance that makes them less stable and I really don’t want those noisy toys ripping up and down my street. I can’t hear the normal traffic from inside my house but when one of my neighbors takes his ATV up and down the street it is really annoying.

By: Wonk Vader

Wonk Vader — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:33:03 +0000

I have seen photos of these “four-wheeled motorcyles” on the Internet, including some high-performance models that are styled just like a Ninja-type motorcycle (Google photo search “four-wheeled motorcyle”). The one for the U.S. market has three wheels, two in the front and one in the back, in order to comply with archaic U.S. states’ laws. I saw one of these freaky three-wheelers at the Cole/Franklin intersection a couple of weeks ago.

As long as they are four-stroke engines and comply with pollution laws, I think they’re a great idea. Our laws assume anything that has four wheels that you sit on to ride is an off-road ATV. A four-wheeled motorcycle would be at least as safe as a two- or three-wheeled one.

By: JJ

JJ — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:38:12 +0000

This is a good example of how structure serves as a dis-incentive. Many states if not most levy a tax on vehicles registered as a percentage of the purchase price or value. All states and the feds receieve money based on the number of gallons of gasoline sold. To pass laws that allow the purchase and use of inexpensive fuel effecient vehicles on public roads cuts government revenue, so many are reluctanct to do so. I wouldn’t ride my 4-wheeler on the freeway, but I would like to use to run across the street for some milk and other local chores that I use my car for.

By: paul

paul — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:45:40 +0000

A very cool concept that is used in various places in the USA is the NEV or NEIGHBORHOOD ELECTRIC VEHCILE. They come completely street legal and will do 35 MPH. The local Politicos do not seem to interested in this means of local transportation for Idaho streets.

Too bad we can get our minds off the sludge boxes we have bee driving for so long.