Rich Civic Times
RANDOLPH, Utah.
October 1, 2014. Chris Haller, Utah State Parks, Off Highway Vehicle
Department, said that the program is still going even though there have been
severe budget cuts. There are grants for
trail heads, vehicles and trails. They
will fund a statewide study for data on users and a plan for OHV use. They will work with registered vehicle
owners to see what their needs are and their usage and why they ride. State Parks hope to have the study completed
next year. They are working on a
statewide message and educational tools with many partners. OHV has a 2 million
budget from ½% from Motor Fuel Taxes.
Commissioner said that OHV users pay for the highways with
their fuel taxes but bikers do not, bikers use the trails and highways without
paying a user fee. Weston thinks that they should. There are several counties and states that
assess user fees, said Haller. It will
take legislative action to assess a fee.
“When bikers want to use the highways for bike races,” said Weston, “they
should pay a fee. Bikers don’t pay for
search and rescue, but they use the resources.
The fat bikes ride on the trails groomed for OHV. We need legislators
who will push that idea.”
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