Final Off-highway Vehicle Report Released
VOLUNTARY PLANNING BOARD--Final Off-highway Vehicle Report Released
More effective enforcement and improved safety measures, plus systems to protect private property and develop provincial trail networks are among the recommendations in the final report of a Voluntary Planning task force on the use of Off-highway vehicles (OHV) in Nova Scotia.
After months of consultations and thousands of written submissions, the task force delivered its report in Halifax today, Nov. 2.
The report makes 39 recommendations that focus on enforcement, safety, protection of property, appropriate designation of trails, and uniform standards for off-highway vehicles.
The report recommends government establish a permanent integrated task force dedicated to policing and enforcing registration of off-highway vehicles. It also calls for stiffer penalties for offences involving off-highway vehicles.
The report recommends that all off-highway vehicle drivers be required to complete safety training. It also suggests that operators be licensed and that full licenses be restricted to those 16 years of age or older. However, 14- to 16 year-olds would be permitted to operate vehicles with youth-class licences, if they have completed a training course and are directly supervised by a parent or guardian. Those younger than 14 could also operate off-highway vehicles on approved tracks under certain specific conditions.
The report calls for the creation of a trust fund that would help finance a provincewide network of user-pay trails while suggesting stricter conditions for access to other land. Drivers would be required to obtain written permission before crossing private property. Protected wilderness areas, municipal water supply areas and ecologically sensitive areas would be off-limits and third party liability insurance would be mandatory for off- highway vehicle operators.
It is also recommended that the government of Nova Scotia work with other provinces and the federal government to review and/or establish national standards for off-highway vehicles. The standards would deal with issues such as noise levels, tire treads and design.
"We're confident our recommendations represent a broad social consensus on the solutions to the off-highway vehicle issues facing Nova Scotia", said Louis Tousignant, task force chair. "All political parties, levels of government, interested citizens and organizations must now find ways to translate these recommendations into progressive legislation, policies and initiatives."
The report will be used to help government determine what types of off-highway vehicle policies are needed in Nova Scotia.
The 12-member task force held meetings, met with organizations and individuals and received thousands of submissions over a 15- month period. An interim report was released last February. Final submissions from the public were accepted until the end of July, 2004.
"This was a huge consultation project with several stages. We received more than 2,500 written submissions," said Mr. Tousignant. "Members of the task force are a mix of people with diverse backgrounds and still a strong consensus was reached."
The report is available online at www.gov.ns.ca/vp or at Access Nova Scotia centres across the province.
Voluntary Planning -- Nova Scotia's Citizens' Policy Forum -- operates at arm's length from the provincial government. Members participate on task forces, project teams and sector committees.