Foolishness averted
The Adams village board reluctantly avoided violating state law this week when it put off a vote to open Spring and North Park streets to all-terrain vehicle traffic. It was a struggle, though.
The board was entertaining a proposal to open the village streets to ATVs despite the fact that such an action would be a blatant violation of vehicle and traffic law, which allows roads to be open only to connect to off-road trails that would otherwise be difficult to reach. Here is what can be reached at the ends of Spring and North Park streets: Spring Street in the town of Adams and Park Street in the town of Adams. In other words, there are no off-road trails within miles of either of these village streets.
This bit of folderol was entertained despite the adamant objections of many village residents who want nothing to do with the noise and traffic hazards generated by ATVs. In fact, it’s hard to believe that anyone could step back, look at ATV use and decide that it is appropriate for densely populated, driveway-rich, pedestrian friendly residential areas. Even Lewis County, whose leaders have made a mockery of state law, hasn’t suggested opening villages to ATV traffic (although some ATV fanatics have).
The Adams proposal included siting a “trailhead” at the Department of Public Works on North Park Street. A trailhead is, believe it or not, the head or beginning of a trail. So to create such an animal on this site, the village would have to put ATV trails on its acre or so of land there. Imagine the delight ATV riders would feel, riding around and around and around the village equipment barns.
One of the rationales for opening these two streets to ATV traffic was to give businesses access to the high-spending recreational riders. On the streets the village proposed to open, they could stop at the following businesses: Dave’s Pool Service and Piddock Funeral Home. This would allow an ATV enthusiast to schedule a pool service appointment and pick up some shock chemicals, or prepay for a loved one’s funeral. Or window-shop for caskets.
This blog was even mentioned during the debate on the issue, according to people at the meeting, as a buzz-kill for such great ideas. I am pleased to be of service to residents throughout the north country who don’t want their elected officials to ignore state law and don’t want the hassles and the traffic dangers of having ATVs buzzing around their residential neighborhoods.
We can’t ask every local elected official to know everything about state law. We can, however, expect them to do the homework required to make sure they don’t make bad decisions. In Adams, both residents and the village attorney have urged the village Board of Trustees to abandon this illegal and totally inappropriate proposal. Instead, they tabled it. To avoid the embarrassment of having to defend a clearly illegal decision in court, the trustees would be best served to let this plan quietly die on that table.
