ATV Regs Lose Traction at Township Committee

When the Township Committee discussed considering new rules on ATVs for the township at the April 14 meeting, the members weren't focused on some of the quieter uses of the vehicles.

And after having time to review a recently adopted ordinance from Watchung—and perhaps hear from some residents—the committe members are reconsidering any new rules.

Some of those residents showed up at Thursday night's meeting to let the committee know how they felt—and those who couldn't be there signed a petition, which was handed to the committee by Anthony Giordano.

"If the ATVs are so loud and such a problem, then why are all my neighbors here?" he asked.

Giordano painted the proposed rules as infringements on his freedoms, and said a lawyer friend had told him, "Let this day be remembered as Warren's Bastille Day."

Giordano's comments came after a discussion by the committee members that voiced some of the same thoughts. Mayor Gary DiNardo said he felt the Watchung ordinance was "very restrictive" and takes away Constitutional rights.

"My thought was, if I took my garden ATV and put a trailer on it, I couldn't take it to the front yard to plant flowers," he said. "We should just walk through this slowly."

He acknowledged problems arise when the mufflers and baffles are removed from the vehicles, to make smaller vehicles faster.

Township Attorney Jeffrey Lehrer said he took note of the emails and calls made to the township objecting to the possible regulations, and several offered some good ideas that could be incorporated into possible updating of an existing off-road vehicle ordinance.

"There are things we can do on an interim basis to deal with the complaints we've had," he said. He suggested a review of the existing ordinance concerning off-road vehicles and said he could report back to the committee in about 60 days on any potential changes.

The committee first broached the topic in April, after complaints from some residents arose over the noise emanating from ATVs used on a neighboring property. At the April 14 meeting, the committee members noted the township's current noise ordinances are difficult to enforce in such circumstances.