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I am not your enemy, so dummy up and face front. Your worst enemies are
within your own ranks, and you all know them. The irresponsible,
arrogant, belligerent nitwits who buy, borrow or steal an off road ride
and feel that this qualifies them to ride anywhere they dam well please.
And with a "you just try and stop me" attitude. Read the Montville, NJ,
Clayton's pit, and Dirt Road, Toms River posts in the Places To Ride
section to view the mentality. These boneheads cancel all the good
efforts of the majority of riders, whom I feel are reasonable people,
looking for a bitchin' place to ride.
I've been riding since the early sixties. My first bike was a 250cc (?)
Harley Davidson two stroke (how many remember that beauty?), Jawa 125cc,
next a Yamaha 250, Honda 350CB, and a Gold Wing Interstate. Though I've
now hung up my helmet, I know there is nothing in the world like a
screaming flog through the woods. Maybe I did some jerky things too, and
part of the thrill was knowing we could get caught by the cops for
riding on somebody's farm. But I am also a past Chairman of the
Sayreville Planning Board, and I see the problem from a land use
perspective as well.
My article was intended to ignite the Sayreville mayor and council to
face up to an old and continuing situation, made exponentially worse by
the increasing disappearance of rideable land and wild increase of ATV
and bike sales. The conflict is that part of the land in Sayreville is
designated passive recreation, fishing, nature walking and that sort of
thing. The adjoining lands are utility company right of ways and private
vacant former mining sites and industrial vacant land. Over the last few
years, the riders have encroached from the moonscape areas into the
family use/fishing areas near the ponds. The ATV's are big, powerful,
fast machines, and are driven that way. There are simply too many near
misses with fishermen, families, dog walkers and hikers. Yes the bikers
wave at you, but they don't use all five fingers. Enough with this; now
there is a line in the sand, and the council needs to decide which is
the permitted use. The land is either a Nature Preserve or it is a Boro
approved ATV park. I couldn't give a damn less which way they make it,
it just can't be both. I'm no stinger to the local news editors, and I
will not back down from this issue. But understand, I am not anti off
roader. I am, however, strongly against the knuckleheads that are the
fatal flaw of your sport.
The responsible members of the ATV community have done a poor job of
publicizing their positive contributions, if any, and an even poorer job
of policing their ranks. Your bad apples are stinking up the joint. If
you don't get active, soon all riding sites will be closed and policed.
The skateboard park in Sayreville has been mentioned. For years
skateboarders had a bad reputation in town, as they ruined every site
they visited. Grinding and whatnot. But a handful of boarders got
together to petition the council for a site. They were rejected
repeatedly by the council, for years. But they kept on, cleaned up their
membership, and got some support in the community and were ultimately
victorious. Now they have the best park in the State. But they must
continue to weed out the jerks and keep the park clean, or they will
surely lose it for good. You can bank on it.
So what now? For starters, the Sayreville Preserve site is a mess, with
illegal dumping all over the site. Bikers didn't do this dumping, but if
they got together, approached Councilman Drwal, who has grant monies,
and offered to get a work party together and clean up the areas over the
summer for a few weekends I can't help but feel the riders would get
some good press and maybe soften the public attitude. If they work with
the council, control their outlaws, and pitch in to help the town keep
the site clean it could only help their cause, if they should ever
petition the council for a riding park. Huddle up, bounce the jerks, and
get serious and it could happen. Do nothing and this site will be lost.
It's in your hands now - be creative and united and you could all gain.
Regards,
Dan
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