Pages: 1
Posted by: YZ250WR
Seems like the last two years there has been a push to reduce OHRV riding here in southern NH. It seemed to have started when contractors built houses near the state trails in windham. For a rider that would be heaven, but unfortunately the people who bought them arent. so because they bought these new expensive homes and obviously didnt check the local before they did, they quickly decided to go before the town and complain about the noise and have been trying to get rid of the riding all together. Just this past year, the windham depot controversey, swung to their favor and now limmits have been put to the number of people who can park and ride at the depot.
Next the town of salem was reviewing an ordance to ban snowmobiles and atvs from the frozen lakes and ponds. Fortunately that didnt seem to fly but because of a person (only one person) who just recently moved to one of the lakes was unhappy about the noise decided to put forth the suggestion for the ordance. I mean really, when you live on a lake, your bound to get noise... its all about recreation, thats why people move to be on lakes...
Last year, I was told that riding the side of rt 111 is no longer going to be allowed. People, including myself, have been riding 111 for over 15 years and had never once been told not to ride there, infact, it was the contrary. I used to talk to some of the police all the time at the gas stations off of 111, some of them were riders themselves. again, new homes right near the highway are to blame. People dont want to here the noise. (but they buy a house with a highway in its back yard... go figure) Never the less, that is what was told to me by the police.
Now yesterday I read in the local paper that the NHDOT is looking to claim and or reclaim the old rail road beds from the methuen/salem line and go all the way up to concord for a bicycle trail. sounds good till you remember, the same beds they are looking to claim are the ones already being used as the legal state trails for southern NH. I know they are looking to go north to south and the state trails go east and west but quite a bit of those trails overlap and based on the projections, they overlap alot.
lastly, the state raised its fee for OHRV registration by double of last years rates, now they plan to reduce the area to ride.
So, that is a brief history of the impending doom of riding in southern NH.
If anyone lives in the hudson to kingston, derry to salem areas, cotact the NHDOT and tell them that you dont want what little riding area we have left taken away.
thanks!
(sorry, I had to vent)
Posted by: MojaveRider250
Did they end up closing the depot, theres also this place a little north called hopkington that iam gonna try out.
Posted by: tampavii
Be gald you havce or had legal place to ride .here in Nj nowhere to ride at all. Just have to run from cops .So join the club .
NJ S&^ks
Posted by: 03foreman
Hopkington resevior is good, not alot of real fast stuff, 1 sand pit a couple of one lane tracks sutable for racing (not passing). The rest is technical lots of roots and rocks, good for a 4x4, but I used to ride my Quadracer there. Its currently closed for mud season, it should open by June 1st. Rockingham trail SU#KS, rail bed with woops the whole way, short of going to get a forearm workout I don't like it.
Posted by: cbrf41999
Where abouts in Southern NH do you live and ride? I live in Hudson, NH
Posted by: cbrf41999
No they havent I drove by yesterday with the family there was about 50 or so truck/trailers there. So I guess so far so good. That trail is very heavily used.
Posted by: Tick
Man, that really sucks. But welcome to the club. This is just a localized situation in your area; it's happening all over the country. Especially in the northeast. I'm in the same situation, they want to take our money to build bike trails. I am really sick of those damn mountian bikers!!! I've been trying to get a group of ATV'ers together and open some public land to us here in MD.
I believe the solution to your problem is the solution to everyone's problem...ATV'ers need to get organized!!! For some reason, (and I still haven't figured it out) ATV'ers just don't seem to have the desire/energy/whatever to band together. When I see riders along the road I stop and tell them about what I'm trying to do and all I ever hear is why it won't happen...S@it...I can't even get riders in the area to e-mail me.
I have heard some success in Minnesota with the ATVAM. They seem to heep thier riding areas open, based on what I've read on the boards. If they can do it in thier state, there is no reason we can't do it in another local area or on a national level.
Don't take this lying down!! Get other riders involved, take the lead and get the ATV'ers, Dirt Bikers, Snow Mobilers and whoever else you find to get together and fight back. Join the ATVA and get others to do the same. They have resources available to members to combat this very thing; but they're not going to do it for just one rider.
Lead, Follow or get the hell out of the way
Posted by: Cleve
I agree about the need to band together for what we believe in (keeping areas open to ATV's). We have had problems down our way for many years with finding trails to ride, state parks closing for ORV's, power lines being off-limits because of development...railroad beds closing because of them being turned into bike paths..the list goes on and on! I was considering registering my ATV in NH. so that we could hopefully have more places to ride but it seems you guys up north are having the same problems.
Posted by: Cleve
I have one suggestion and I hope this helps to anyone reading this....Join an ATV club that uses some of the funds it receives from members to have representation at public meetings and at a state level on the use of areas for ORV usage.One person alone will be fighting a tough battle with all the "tree huggers" but as a group..."strength in numbers"!!
Posted by: Scooter86
Joining clubs and banding together can work. The problem is that you need to have dedicated people behind the movement, people with lots of patience and free time on their hands. Check out Trailpass to see how NY riders are dealing with lack of riding areas. Heck we have Tugg Hill, but that is all we have for state trails. I am afraid that states just see public atv trails as potential lawsuits and moneypits. If we could show the pols how trailsystems can boost local economies, show them a bottomline of income, only then will we change government thinking.
Posted by: tbsleeper
im registered in nh and u can ride mostly all the snowmobile trails and htey go all across nh!!
Posted by: Brian5150
Hey Tick,
It's the same in Weastern New York. Our Registration was $10 and now it is supposed to go up to $40! What are they gonna do with it??? Build stupid bike trails. I agree with you as far as the mountain bikers...Go ride in the mountains, lay off of what few trails we have. Besides, last I knew, cops won't chase you if you are riding a mountain bike down the street or through the park, but they will if you aree on an atv. The bikes have more than enough room to ride with out taking our trails over. I am so sick and tired of this that I'm just gonna stasrt riding in the parks. Erie county closed them all anyway, so let them try and catch me.
Posted by: Rbraczyk
Im in amherst, new hampshire and the only place i can ride is at my friends house where' we are blazing miles of trails in his 70 acres of land and their neighbors, but sandpits are becoming scarce.
Posted by: Markymannn
Sure ATV'ers need to band together and fight for our cause. But that is difficult to get people together, and then have the resources (lawyers?) to be effective. My point is I don't understand, the people that have a lot to loose, the ATV mfg'ers and their sales $$$, don't rally to take up the cause. Maybe if they all supported a single group it would help. The ATV mfg'ers have the DEEP pockets to do it. You could even make an argument for the dealers of a state doing something to help, but they just sit on their hands.
My own situation is that I love the sport, but question how long I will be a part of it, so long as riding areas are so hard to find or get to. It just doesn't make sense to have all this time, money, and half my garage invested into something you just can't easily enjoy
Posted by: neversunk
We're all guilty of ruining many of our favorite sports over one issue guys.....NOISE!. Half of the people don't give a crap what other people do until they have to hear the noise coming through their closed windows and doors. At some point we are gonna have to start policing ourselves a bit with our boats, motorcycles, ATV's and car stereos before the majority creates new laws to take our hobbies away from us. We're gonna have to give to get in this situation someday.....
Posted by: MuscleMustangs
Tree huggers suck, PAVE THE RAIN FOREST LOL
J/K
We need to ban together so these idiots stop getting their own way.
