OHV Use Restrictions On Private Land

Filed in archive News on February 20, 2007

If you're familiar with Jeremy McGrath, Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and Riverside County, you've probably heard about the proposed OHV ordinance in March 2006 that would have, among other things, required permits to ride on private property, restrict OHV use from 12pm to 5pm, and forbid riding on parcels less than 10 acres (unless notarized permission is obtained from all contiguous property owners)

I spent much of my childhood in San Bernardino/Riverside County, and remember people riding all over the county, including Little Mountain, which I lived right at the base of, as well as the washes and other areas, unrestricted.

I recently joined an ATV forum, which shall remain nameless, and saw an eye catching post titled "very angry". The person that made the post was (obviously) a teen-age ATV rider going by the moniker 05fastblaster, who writes:

my neigbor is threatening to call the cops on me for riding on my own lawn he is mad bout his rucking trees that are between my lawn and his lawn, is it ilegal if i'm bearly close to it hes just yelling bout dirt spreading a little. i only posted in yamaha because i am riding yamaha for life

After a few encouraging posts from one or two other members directing him to continue his behavior and in fact to step it up a notch, he replied:

ha ha lol i invited my 4 friends over when he was not home for a little drag racing on his yard he got pissed a big deal he wa slike i'm gonna have them take it away Blah blah blah blah i was like it was not me i don't remeber doing anything today which got him madder but ohh well hes a dick becuz he won't get over his wife (divorced) P.S i'm gonna do it agian he has no proof of me doing it anyway hes to retarded to work a camera

This youn man seems to be under the impression that it's ok for him to harrass his neighbors because his neighbors complained about him. I don't know the entire situation, but I do know that it's people like this young man who are largely responsible for many of the restrictions regarding OHV usage today.

I can only hope he will look back on this in 20 years when there is much less OHV use allowed on private or public land, and realize how much he contributed to it.

He is being irresponsible and selfish, not to mention he is putting his parents at risk.