Concerns for safety of riders of four-wheelers were addressed by members of the East Carbon City Council and attendees at a public meeting on June 14.
Several alleged instances of unsafe driving by youth on all-terrain vehicles have been reported in local neighborhoods of East Carbon.
In addition, residents of the community indicated that they believe that the possibility of someone being fatally injured while riding an ATV on paved roads is high.
The law in East Carbon used to be that no one could ride ATVs until they were on a trail. The rule had to be changed due to many riders leaving ATVs running while walking the vehicles to the start of a trail.
The situation caused concerns because of the chance someone could be run over while walking alongside a running four-wheeler, remarked Dave Maggio, a member of East Carbon’s City Council.
“I think that they just need to slow down,” said Maggio about the dangerous driving. Maggio also remarked on how unsafe ATVs can be when driven on pavement.
Many instances of ATVs being driven at nearly 50 miles per hour have reportedly been witnessed by residents, pointed out one attendee of the meeting.
Several of the council members noted that the reckless driving needed to be stopped after recently witnessing the behavior.
None of the council members could confirm what the speed limit currently is for ATVs, but several officials said it should be 10 miles or less per hour in town and 20 miles per hour on trails.
An attendee at the meeting asked the council if it was possible to remind residents of the local ordinances in the next city newsletter.
The suggestion seemed to be supported by the council.
Along with the discussion about ATVs, the issue of speed limits in Columbia not being taken seriously was brought up at the East Carbon council meeting.
One attendee remarked that the speed limits needed to be increased to 35 miles per hour where more drivers would take them seriously, while another said they need to stay where they are at 20 miles per hour for the safety of East Carbon residents and children.
Council member Maggio mentioned that the city should leave certain speed limits where they are.
It was also mentioned that in areas with children, the speed limit should be low enough that drivers could have a decent reaction time if a child was to run out into the road.
The council is already ordering more speed limit signs for the area. It was said that four 20 mile per hour signs and one reduced speed limit sign were to be ordered for the Columbia area.
Also discussed, in an unrelated matter, were plans for the upcoming East Carbon Community Daze.
Council Member Maggio discussed the idea of opening the high school for tours during the Community Daze celebration. Maggio wrote a letter to the school board about opening up the school for the event, where anyone interested can walk through the school one last time. He has yet to receive a response from the school board, but told the council that if he doesn’t receive one, he will go to talk to them in person about using the school.
If the school board allows it, the school will only be open for a few hours. Maggio also mentioned the possibility of finding interested individuals to volunteer to help while the building is open.
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