Great news for ALL of us!!!!!!!!!!

[STAKK]

Published February 27th, 2010 // Times News Online


All-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders could get license plates and use designated locally approved roads under legislation advancing in the Tennessee General Assembly.

The legislation is sponsored by state Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport.

ATV use on Tennessee’s highways is currently prohibited except to cross roads, according to ATVSafety.gov. ATVs are also prohibited from state parks.

Shipley said ATV advocates approached him about introducing the bill, and he believes it could spur ATV tourism as well as generating other state revenue.

About a two-hour drive from Kingsport, Harlan County, Ky., is promoting “offroading” (www.harlancountytrails.com) as part of its tourism effort. West Virginia has “Hatfield-McCoy Trails” (www.trailsheaven.com) used by permitted ATV riders in the state’s southern end.

“From what I could discover it created millions and millions of dollars in the tourist trade — people are going to West Virginia to ride their four-wheelers up the mountain. ... We’ve got people who want to ride but no place to ride. They get tickets when they are on the right of way...” Shipley said. “The win-win for the state is you have to be licensed and have a tag.”

Shipley’s bill would authorize ATVs to be registered and have license plates at a cost of $14.50 per plate. The state’s Fiscal Review Office notes more than 25,000 ATVs could be registered per year, putting more than $360,000 per year in Tennessee’s coffers.

The legislation emphasizes ATV users would not be able to ride on interstates or two-lane highways but could run on roads approved by local governments.

Those local governments, according to the bill, could charge the ATV rider a fee of up to $25 per year to use the roads.

The governments, Shipley said, could also have “designated ATV days” and limit the road’s exposure.

“(The rider) could ride from a trailhead to a gas station,” Shipley explained. “The legislation is permissive. ... Local governments can identify routes. ... The Forestry Service roads are examples of places where these things can be rode once you have a tag. ... Cities can find some wild and woolly ground someplace.”

In Kingsport, for instance, the fire tower trail at Bays Mountain might be a place for ATV riders, said Shipley, but he added: “That’s not for me to decide.”

The bill calls for ATVs to have a working exhaust and lights to be operated a half hour before sunset or sunrise. Operators would need a valid driver’s license and crash helmet. Violators would be charged with a misdemeanor, according to the bill. For more information go to www.capitol.tn.gov. The bill’s number is HB 3079.

[STAKK]

This is great news for us, another bill is being presented by state Senator Ken Yeager (SB 1205 Adventure Tourism and Rural Development act of 2011:::::

PLEASE everyone write or email these gentlemen if you live in Tn or visit our state to ride and give them support in this, the anti atv crowd are already speaking out, PLEASE write/email in support of these bills:::::Here is a recent article in our local newspaper in Scott county Tn home of Brimstone.......
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NASHVILLE — A discussion about making the area around Brimstone Recreation an adventure tourism zone has gone on for more than a year.

But if a bill sponsored by state Sen. Ken Yager, R-Harriman, is successful in the Tennessee General Assembly, such a move could take a big step toward reality.

Such designation would help circumvent state laws regarding the operation of all-terrain vehicles on public roads. Discussion of adventure tourism zones was spurred in part when former Scott County Sheriff Anthony Lay announced in 2009 that his department would begin enforcing state laws that prohibit the operation of ATVs on public roadways.

Prior to that announcement, however, the Town of Huntsville had already taken the initiative to adopt an ordinance that took some of the steps Yager’s legislation would take; namely, permitting the operation of ATVs on public roads.

Yager’s legislation, the Tennessee Adventure Tourism and Rural Development Act of 2011 (SB 1205) would direct the departments of Tourism Development, Environment and Conservation and Economic and Community Development to develop a plan for adventure tourism in rural areas of the state.

After the identification of such areas, which would almost certainly include Scott County, local governments would be empowered to establish, by a two-thirds majority vote of their governing bodies, adventure tourism zones. Off-highway vehicles would be permitted “upon any streets, roads or highways designated for such purpose and included within the boundaries of an adventure tourism district,” and the Department of Tourist Development would be called upon to provide financial assistance to assist with the development of adventure tourism areas.

Types of adventure tourism specifically mentioned in the bill are equestrian riding, ATV riding, whitewater rafting and kayaking, rappelling, rock climbing, hang-gliding and spelunking.

In addition to being geographically suitable for such sports, areas with persistently high unemployment would be given priority by the legislation.

The House version of the legislation is sponsored by state Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma. Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, and Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, have signed on as co-sponsors.

A similar bill sponsored by Yager and former state Rep. Les Winningham, D-Huntsville, was not promoted out of committee during the 2010 legislative session.