Posted February 27, 2007

Model Effort to Deal with Noise

A Virginia bill to ban riding ATVs or dirtbikes within 500 feet of a house has died. Instead, a committee that includes ATV and motorcycle riders will look for other solutions to local complaints about noise.

The sponsor the bill promised the Virginia Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition he would kill the bill in exchange for a commitment from the Coalition to work with Powhatan County and local riders to resolve sound complaints there. As it turned out, the bill died in committee anyway.

The coalition met with the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors and proposed a committee to tackle the issue, which the board supported. The committee is made up of several members of the Board of Supervisors, the planning commissioner, the commonwealth's attorney, five riders, and Tim Norris, AMA Life Member and president of the Virginia Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition.

"What we've done here can serve as a model for other localities," Norris says.

© 2007, All Terrain Vehicle Association