Photo: Thiago Schlemper
St. Paul, MN – A Minnesota House bill would expand ATV access to some roads across the state.
Republican Representative Roger Skraba of Ely says the legislation is critically important for greater Minnesota cities and rural communities where ATVs are not just for recreation, but also a practical mode of transportation. The bill would let communities with less than 25,000 people adopt ordinances allowing ATVs on a roadway or trunk highway’s shoulder.
MnDOT and other opponents of the bill are concerned about safety. Ken Johnson, a MnDOT assistant state traffic engineer, says, “A lot of 30 to 45 mile per hour trunk highways are also multi lane. Their size and design make them difficult to see, imagine trying to see an ATV behind a large pickup and they don’t have safety features to reduce the consequence of higher speed crashes.”
The bill is currently moving through committee.
