LANSING – The Michigan House passed a plan Tuesday that will increase tourism and make it easier for residents to get around. The plan, introduced earlier this month by State Representative John Espinoza (D-Croswell), will add Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac and St. Clair to the counties that are allowed to have ORVs travel on the shoulders or sides of the road.
"Exploring the outdoors has always been a key component of life in the Thumb," Espinoza said. "Opening up county roads to off-road vehicles will attract more tourists to the area and allow them to pump valuable dollars in to the economy. Encouraging folks to come hit the trails will keep our residents employed and benefit our local economy."
Espinoza's plan changes a law enacted last year that allowed certain counties to open their roads to off-road vehicle traffic if they chose to. It currently applies only to Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clare, Gladwin, Arenac and Bay counties, and all counties lying north, 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 affected 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.
"Rural residents know all about riding ORVs and the ease of using them to get around," Espinoza said. "With so many different counties in the state, what's best in one county may not be the best in another. Decisions on road usage are best made at the local level where residents can choose to allow it."