Copyright 2007 Albuquerque Journal
Illegal ATV Use Irks Residents
Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico),
April 14, 2007 Wednesday
Ginger McGuire Journal Staff Writer
Whirling dust and the noisy rumble of engines disturb Tierra Contenta residents, and the trails through their open space are being destroyed. The culprits: ATV riders, who drive their machines illegally through the arroyos and along paved trails
"It's horrible. You don't want to go down there," said Mark Coble, who has owned a home in the area for more than a year. "It's not unusual for truckloads of ATV users to show up."
With herds of all-terrain vehicles whizzing by, Coble said it's unappealing to take a walk. Riding a bicycle or taking a dog for exercise isn't fun either.
Both city and county officials have received complaints about illegal ATV use in several locations and are working to find common ground between those who view ATVs as recreational toys and those who consider them a nuisance. A series of public meetings on the issue begins today and continues next week, with a public comment session on city plans for an ATV park tentatively scheduled for May 1.
In the city, ATVs are not permitted in city parks, trails or open space including city-owned drainages and arroyos. Violators can be fined $500, be placed in jail for 90 days, or both. In the county, the situation is different the county has no ordinance restricting ATV use on either private or public land, according to County Commissioner Mike Anaya.
To address the lack of a sanctioned ATV area, the city is working to acquire 160 acres of land owned by Bureau of Land Management northeast of the Municipal Recreation Complex.
City project manager Martin Valdez said the Public Works Department received a $426,000 grant in December from the state parks division to build the trails and a committee had already proposed acquiring the land to the council.
"The need has been expressed I know there is a lot of unauthorized use of ATVs," Valdez said. "We want to provide a place where people can go ride their ATVs without tearing up arroyos or public property."
The city has tentatively scheduled a meeting on the proposed ATV park May 1. Public comment may affect whether the city moves forward in its proposal to acquire the land from BLM, Valdez said.
"We tried to select a site that was isolated and will not be affected by potential future growth," community facilities manager Frank Archuleta said of the proposed location.
If it's approved, Valdez said the area would include trails and a track for sanctioned ATV events.
Owners concerned
City Councilor Carmichael Dominguez will also host meetings on illegal ATV use today and sometime next week.
Dominguez said ATV use in the Tierra Contenta area, where he lives, is a serious problem, in part because some of the paved trails in the area open space are very close to property lines.
"(ATV users) are getting close to people's yards, making a lot of noise and dust," Dominguez said.
Dominguez said that, last summer, people had even set up tents during the day to watch an informal ATV race through the area, which is partly city-owned and partly in the county.
James Hicks, executive director of the Tierra Contenta Corporation, said the city has installed post and cable fences in part of the area, but ATV drivers find a way past them.
Tracks and damage from the ATVs is clearly visible, he said. "You can see where they have destroyed whole hillsides. Those vehicles pretty much go anywhere, and if they want to get there badly enough, they can."
On a personal note, he said, he wishes parents who buy their kids ATVs would realize that, if they don't have property to ride on, their kids would likely be riding illegally.
Dominguez said another part of the problem is that there are numerous access points to the open space, which also blurs the boundary between city and county.
Dominguez said the city is exploring options to add signs prohibiting ATVs throughout the area and the police department has been notified about the problem and have been encouraged to issue citations.
"The important thing is that (ATV riders) should be respectful there are people who live in these homes," Dominguez said. "Even though it is exciting for the off-roaders, it can be detrimental to ordinary life for those residents."
Widespread problem
Complaints about illegal ATV activity have also been reported in areas behind the Lodge at Santa Fe, off St. Francis Drive, and on the Arroyo Chamiso Trail north of the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, city officials said.
The county has also received complaints concerning ATV use in rural areas, with the highest number of complaints coming from the Edgewood area, said Stephen Ulibarri, county public information officer.
Residents and business owners there are already concerned with high levels of noise and dust from heavy truck traffic, and ATVs are exacerbating that problem, Ulibarri said.
Anaya is meeting with county residents in the Edgewood area Tuesday to discuss ways to resolve the conflict between ATV riders and their neighbors, as well as to discuss the use of ATVs and dirt bikes in the county.
Public meetings
City and county officials have scheduled several meetings to discuss ATV and dirt bike use:
Today, City Councilor Carmichael Dominguez hosts a meeting from 10 a.m. to noon at the Southside Library, and another from 2 to 4 p.m. at Mary Esther Gonzales Senior Center.
Dominguez also plans on holding a meeting with Tierra Contenta-area residents next week but no time or place has yet been set.
County Commissioner Mike Anaya will host a meeting for residents of the southern part of the county at Edgewood Middle School Gymnasium on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
A public meeting on city plans to build an ATV park on 160 acres of Bureau of Land Management property near the Metropolitan Recreation Complex is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 1 in Frenchy's Barn at Frenchy's Field off Agua Fria Street.
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