KELOWNA – New laws come into effect next week for off-road vehicles.
The province says new rules will help ensure off-road vehicles are driven in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
As it stands, rules and restrictions are few and far between for outdoor enthusiasts riding on Crown land in BC, but that will change with the new laws.
Some off-road vehicle owners aren’t very happy about the changes coming down the pipe.
“Some people think it’s a money grab and that’s kind of my opinion,” says Karl Krissler, a Kelowna man who owns close to a dozen off-road vehicles.
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“When you have to start paying for being out there in the nature, you know, it gives me a bitter feeling,” says Krissler.
Derek Bannister with Banner Recreation supports the overall idea pointing to the benefits of having license plates on off-road vehicles.
“Now if you see something disrespectful, you can track it back and people can actually be accountable for it,” says Bannister.
For over a decade it’s been mandatory for snowmobile owners to register and display license plates and the government says the new regulations will bring the rest of the industry in line with the rules currently in place for snowmobiles.
“This will actually provide increased opportunities for those ATV’s to be able to cross highways and at highway crossings at designated areas,” says Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
Thomson says BC is one of the few provinces that doesn’t have this kind of legislation already in place.
“We are a little different from other provinces, we’ve gone with a one-time registration so people will only have to register their vehicle once. We wanted to make it affordable for the users and for families,” explains Thomson.
The new registration system launches Monday on a voluntary basis; however, it becomes mandatory to register vehicles in June of next year.
The registration is a one-time fee of $48 and Thomson points out that’s lower than many other provinces.
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