LANSING – In a move to increase tourism and make it easier for residents to get around, State Representative John Espinoza (D-Croswell) has introduced legislation adding Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac and St. Clair to the counties that are allowed to make it legal for ORVs to travel on the shoulders or sides of the road.
"The Thumb is a great place to explore the outdoors, and we want to attract as many people as possible from around the state," Espinoza said. "Letting off-road vehicle riders drive from trail to trail on the road instead of having to haul their ORVs will encourage more folks to come and spend money in our communities. By increasing the sale of off-road vehicles, we can also boost our local economy and help create jobs."
Espinoza's plan changes a law enacted last year that allowed certain counties to open their roads to ORV traffic if they choose to. It currently applies only to Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clare, Gladwin, Arenac counties, and Bay or a county lying north thereof, including all of the counties of the Upper Peninsula. That left Thumb counties under the old restrictions of allowing ORVs only on private property, the state's designated trail system or at one of several public "scramble areas."
Under the law, each county can decide if and how it will allow ORV use on local roads. Townships and smaller municipalities can opt in or out of their county's program.
The 2008 law sets a 25 mph speed limit for ORVs on roads, holds municipalities immune from liability for accidents involving off-road vehicles unless there is proof of gross negligence, and establishes fines and penalties for ORV riders who damage roads or trespass on private property.
"Local counties should have the right to decide what's best for their roads and residents," Espinoza said. "As members of rural communities, we know what it's like to need to make short trips to the store or a neighbor's house, and using an ORV could be a convenient option that many residents may want to have available."