Dan Carlson says it’s better late than never.
The ATV dealer and CEO of Carlson’s Sports in North Bay, is excited to see the provincial government’s new legislation coming into play this summer.
As of July 1st, 2015, the province will give the green light to off-road and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts, as they will be permitted to drive on the shoulder of Ontario’s public roadways; that includes side-by-side and two-up off-road vehicles.
“Arctic Cat has been making two rider ATV’s that have been legalized in other states and provinces for over 10 years,” said Carlson.
“The new legislation makes sense, it’s much more safe for the riders and with the amount of side-by- sides being sold,this issue had to be addressed.”
Carlson hopes the new law will help boost his side-by-side sales but he’s more excited about how it will impact tourism in the area.
“Mattawa has arguably the best organized trail system in Ontario, maybe top 5 in Canada,” said Carlson.
“Glen Draper and his crew have been lobbying for these rules to pass for years, it must be so rewarding for his team to see this come to fruition. Without outdated laws restricting usage, Mattawa could very well become a huge tourist destination as well as North Bay’s surrounding area.”
Carlson says the new law should increase ATV and side-by-side usage in the province.
“This common sense approach to recognize SxS and 2 rider ATV’s will get more use as the authorities have come down hard at times on their operators, limiting them to almost “gamble” they aren’t caught riding them,” admitted Carlson about the difficulty for ORV enthusiasts.
“Some simply didn’t want to take that risk. Now that’s off the table usage will increase. Side-by-sides are actually safer than a standard ATV as they have seat belts, fully enclosed roll cages and better storage compartments so that doesn’t upset the centre of gravity that carrying the same gear on an ATV would have.”
Carlson just hopes riders will respect the new law.
“Lets just hope this privilege doesn’t get abused by a few that try to bend the rules and overstep the boundaries we have been given,” he said.
“It has taken so long to achieve this new legislation, it would be a shame that a reckless few could jeopardize everything.”
Photo courtesy Go Riding TV & Magazine
