To the Editor:

On Sunday morning, June 4, I was descending the embankment on the south side of the pedestrian bridge at Hill Family Park in John Day when a side-by-side ATV carrying a young couple and their baby drove through the parking lot, rounded the restroom and proceeded toward the bridge. I stood in front and waved at them to stop.

I told the man that he couldn’t drive his ATV on the city trail or over the bridge, but he said he worked for the Parks and Rec Department at the Seventh Street Sports Complex, a point he repeated as if that authorized his actions. I didn’t actually know the city law on this subject, and I’m not a policeman, so I stepped aside and muttered that it didn’t seem right.

This is the first four-wheeled motor vehicle operated by someone in the public that I’ve seen on the city’s river trail system in the four years since I started regularly walking the trails. I’ve seen electric bikes and some kind of electric skateboard. This particular incident got me thinking about potential problems.

1) If it’s OK with the city for four-wheeled motor vehicles to use the city trail system, and it’s only one ATV in four years, once word gets out could it be five or 10 per day during summertime?

2) If it’s OK and no speed limit is posted, what’s to stop these vehicles from going 20 or 25 mph?

3) If it’s OK, what will be the impact on the trails?

4) If it’s OK, what are the chances of a motor vehicle one day hitting another motor vehicle, a pedestrian, a baby stroller, bicyclists or a dog? Line of sight is generally good on the river trail, but higher speeds and distracted drivers could be a problem.

5) If it’s OK, what’s that mean for the walkers, joggers, bicyclists and people with dogs who expect to comfortably travel on a trail without four-wheeled motor vehicles?

6) If it’s not OK for four-wheeled motor vehicles to use the city trail system, shouldn’t there be signs stating that fact at all the various entry points?

Richard Hanners

John Day