http://www.amadirectlink.com/news/2006/Riverside.asp Riverside County officials in California consider even more drastic restrictions on off-road riding After more than a year of effort by the AMA, off-road motorcyclists including former Supercross Champ Jeremy McGrath, and other motorcycling organizations, it looked like a compromise had been reached with officials in Riverside County, California, that would have been fair to the county's 47,000 dirt riders, as well as non-riding residents concerned about sound issues.
Instead, at its most recent meeting, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors raised the possibility of new and even more drastic restrictions on off-road riding, including the possibility of a complete ban on off-road riding in "residential areas" and onerous permit fees for people who wanted to ride on their own land.
The Board of Supervisors' attitude surprised and dismayed AMA officials and other motorcyclists who have worked diligently with the Riverside County Planning Commission to reach a fair compromise.
"We are profoundly disappointed by the inconsistent manner in which the Riverside County Board of Supervisors has initially handled the recommendations from the Riverside County Planning Commission," said Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government affairs. "The AMA and the riding community have worked in good faith for over a year with the Planning Commission to arrive at a compromise that balances personal property issues with the need for reasonable levels of quiet."
Instead of accepting the Planning Commission proposal, the Board of Supervisors discussed other options at its latest meeting, including the ban on riding in residential areas and expensive permits. Then the Board postponed voting on the issue for another two months.
As a result, a controversy that most motorcyclists thought was near an end is now up for debate again.
"I was genuinely shocked by the comments of the Supervisors,†said Meg Grossglass of the Off-Road Business Association, one of the groups working with the AMA on this issue. “I don’t understand what would have prompted the Supervisors to reject the Planning Commission's recommendations and to instead take such a discriminatory stance against people who choose to use off-highway vehicles on their own property."
Similar frustration was expressed by local resident Jack McGrath, father of AMA Supercross legend Jeremy McGrath.
"I pay property tax in this county on several properties and I am outraged that some Supervisors want to tell me that I can’t use my property for what it was purchased for, even though I comply with the current sound limits in the county and have complied with all existing county ordinances," said McGrath.
The issue is bigger than one county in California, for a couple of reasons. First, if officials succeed in trampling motorcyclists' rights in a county that is virtually the center of the motocross industry, then riders in other locations with less clout could be in even greater danger. And second, because of the huge size of Riverside County (second-largest in California and larger than some states), other jurisdictions around the country could look to the Riverside ordinances as models for restricting off-road riding, if the efforts of the anti-motorcycling factions are successful.
AMA officials will continue to work with local motorcyclists and the industry to protect the rights of motorcyclists in Riverside County and around the country.
