Simcoe forest

I was in Simcoe forest I believe the one off of anne st and carson. And noticed alot of garbage piles. Also in the middle of the trail is a pile of roofing shingles covered in nails. I was in there on the weekend and seen a kawasaki klx400 and not only was he ripping past people walking there dogs but he was not legal, no license, no plates, no insurance...... Kinda pissed me off. My first question when I got him to pull over was if he belonged to ODSC and he said no, I was quite surprized to see someone going as fast as he was. He was a serious hazard, when I see people walking on the trails I either stop completely and let them pass if there is no room to pass or slowly go pass them but never pass them at such a speed that the dust behind you blinds them for 5 minutes. Happy trails everyone.

Thanks for the report and taking the time to talk to the rider.

My experience with reckless riders is they are willing to listen hen I tell them why they need to slow down. I hope your guy was receptive.

The OPP has increased patrols in Simcoe and I try to let the other riders know in a friendly helpful manner.

We have had some patrols from 'another motorized group' that have been too authoritative and are causing some problems.

Anyone riding in Simcoe County should try to act as ambassadors of our sport and help inform other users of our code of conduct and the pending issues.

Ken

Ken's right

Take the time and explain to these people what is expected of them....EDUCATE. but unless the police are with you just politely inform them of there bad actions and its effects on us as a hole. Leave the attitude to the police.
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Thanks Kris for doing that. Hopefully that rider will be more respectfull in the future.

Just because they are yahoos, you don't have to call them ' a hole ' . :lol:
or is it a whole...

This is great news!



As you may recall, the original by-law read as follows:

Recommendation 3.1 –THAT all terrain vehicles (ATV’s) be permitted to use County Forests at such time as use agreements are in place which specify adequate insurance, a permit system, trail maintenance program and an enforcement mechanism.

3.2 Other Motorized Vehicles including Dirt Bikes, 4x4’s, Automobiles

Information obtained has revealed that these types of vehicles are rarely, if ever, sanctioned on any organized trails due to the extremely high risk and associated liability. Dirt bikes are often blamed for causing much of the damage to County Forest trails. They frequently cause a greater nuisance than ATV’s due to the noise and fumes of the twostroke engines and high rates of speed which are possible. Some of the most excessive
rutting of forest access roads is caused by 4 x 4 vehicles utilizing the SCF during spring months.

Recommendation 3.2 – THAT motorized vehicles as defined by the Highway Traffic Act, including but not limited to dirt bikes, motocross bikes, and automobiles, be prohibited from Simcoe County Forests.


The By-law, passed today under Bill 80 at the council meeting reads:


5. Other Off-Road Motorized Vehicles (ORMV’s):

For the purpose of this report , an ORMV is defined as any motorized vehicle except snowmobiles designed for off-road use which is a maximum gross vehicle weight of 400kg. This largely includes all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles.

Recommendation 5.1 –THAT ORMV’s be permitted to use designated trails within County Forests at such time as use agreements are in place which specify adequate insurance, a permit system, trail maintenance program, noise limits and an enforcement mechanism.

Recommendation 5.2 –THAT in addition to designated trails, ORMV’s be permitted to utilize County Forests for the following purposes:

• To enable OFATV or OFTR members where authorized to facilitate volunteer patrols or stewardship activities

• To enable improved access for hunting as specified in Recommendation 6.2.


This is a direct result of your hard work by attending meetings and writing letters and staying involved in the process. The donations received from members and Yamaha allowed the OFTR to engage me to attend additional meetings and deal with this issue with a full commitment rather than a part-time volunteer endeavor.

The entire document that outlines a phased implementation of the policy for 2007. It is a fantastic document and we will try to leverage it in other areas of the province that we are working on.

There is a great deal of work still to be done to fulfill our commitment for 2007 and the insurance requirement will be a large effort.

Congratulations to you all!

Ken Hoeverman
Executive Director
Ontario Federation of Trails Riders
http://www.oftr.ca

The Policy is too large to upload here. You can email me for a copy. 1.4mb

Well done Ken ! Boy am I glad you got involved.

Thank you letter to Simcoe County

Attached is a thank you letter to Graeme Davis.

If you have the time, send him a note of thanks, especially if you wrote one of the scathing letters in the beginning!

Ken

gdavis@county.simcoe.on.ca

Great job Ken! The results show all your hard work has paid off.

I like what you wrote in the letter Ken. Sure is great news! We owe you more then we could ever repay.

Thanks,

I DO get paid though.

Sorry for the lack of constant updates. Things are pretty busy so I stick to communicating via the newsletter and the IM column.

K

Re: Thank you letter to Simcoe County

Good idea Ken...
Letter sent.

Al

Good news Ken. Couldn't be better.


I sent of a nice thank you to Graeme.

As always, great job Ken.

Mark Steers

Letter sent.

Yes great jon Ken.

I am new to the enduro world, I recently purchase a new KLR and I am trying to source out information regarding were we can ride our licensed and inssured dual purpose bikes.

And from what i have so far is not to many other places to ride except on the public roads.

Kawartha lake area not allowed.

Haliburton ????

Muskoka, Some, you need to know the trails very well so you dont tresspass on private property.

Simcoe, according to this thread I think we can.

I thought that because we are road worthy and licensed and inssured just like Quads and snowmobiles or better, and we have proper signal lights. we would be welcomed.

thank you in advanced.

Conrad