SUAMICO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Starting next month, people in Suamico will be able to drive their ATV and UTV’s on some main roads.
Many came out in full force on Monday night to give their opinion for or against the ordinance.
Planning has been underway since fall of 2019, and a vote happened on Monday night, but not before public comments were made.
Laura Nelson is an attorney and she’s worried that the ATV’s and UTV’s don’t follow the same rules as cars on the road.
“If I, driving my husbands three quarter ton diesel, fail to see an ATV next to me and that young driver is seriously maimed or tragically killed. And I am sued, guess what? The village steps into the place of the manufacturer.”
Others want families to be able to use their ATV’s in order to bond.
Local riders are happy with the outcome.
Michael Brandt is a co-founder of the Suamico ATV/UTV Club. After asking how many people in attendance were in favor of the idea, this was the result.
“We have the Wisconsin State Statues on our side. We have 40,000 plus miles of paved roads in Wisconsin compared to just 2500 dirt trails. Clearly there wouldn’t be this many other communities passing these ordinances if it was truly an apocalyptic safety concern.”
Others say that the noise coming from the vehicles could cause disruptions at their homes.
