News | 2022
***Important Announcement***
In a recent City of Kawartha Lakes council meeting, a bylaw was passed to appoint some members of our volunteer trail patrol as Municipal Law Enforcement Officers for the purpose of enforcing bylaws on the trails. We want to thank the mayor, council and manager of municipal law enforcement for their faith in our organization by partnering with us in this endeavor.
These individuals are not employees of the City of Kawartha Lakes but do report to the manager of Municipal Law Enforcement for the CoKL. Any tickets issued will be processed through the Provincial Offences office in Lindsay.
The goal is not to replace the city municipal law enforcement staff or OPP patrols, but to assist the city by adding additional enforcement to the trails. We have nothing but respect for current law enforcement on the trails and will continue to partner with them as we always have.
With Covid, all trail systems in Ontario have seen a much higher volume of all types of users which has put added pressure on us as trail stewards. We feel this is an important step to continue to show the community that we are committed to maintaining safe trails for all users to enjoy. The majority of riders follow the rules and ride safely but it’s the small percent that don’t who the local residents remember and they can cost us the trails.
These officers will be patrolling the VRTC from south of Bethany all the way to Kinmount as well as the Somerville Forest, including both the single track and double track trails.
As always, if you have a municipal complaint you should still file the complaint through the City of Kawartha Lakes website.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
We’re happy to announce that Trail #55 is now open again!!
Thanks so much to Ken Hoeverman, Scott Kerr and the team at Happy Trails Construction for their hard work in getting this repair done for us so quickly. The delay was the delivery of the culvert but as soon as it arrived these guys got right to work.
This repair was a joint project between KATVA, KORMA, BDSC and the OF4WD. Thank you to all of our 5 points trail partners for their contribution and for the time spent planning this project. This is the definition of trail stewardship, working together for one common goal, to make the trails safe and enjoyable for ALL trail users.
Happy Trails!
As a club, we are required to know who a trail permit belongs to and who our members are. So if you are planning to sell your ATV or SXS, please remove your sticker beforehand. We know it may not come off in one piece and that’s ok. If you are buying a new machine, just send us a photo of your old sticker and we will gladly send you a new sticker at no cost. Also, let us know the details of your new machine.
Please contact us to send photos and updates or, text to 705-328-4482 or mail to KATVA, P.O. Box 21, Lindsay, ON, K9V 4R8.
Please be aware that the OPP and other law enforcement agencies will be stepping up enforcement on the roads and trails this year. Please stay off the roads and trails until May 1st and once the trails open, only use roads designated for ATV use. We will be posting more information this week about the temporary road routes approved by City of Kawartha Lakes Council that open when the trails open May 1st.
***Important Information regarding ATV use on roads in the City of Kawartha Lakes***
This is the first of a number of posts we will be doing about the upcoming trial project allowing ATVs on SOME additional designated roads in the City of Kawartha Lakes. We will also be posting maps of the designated routes.
1. The trial project starts May 1st! Please stay off of the roads and trails until then.
2. The trial project is for 2 years but will be reviewed after 1 year by city staff and council. Data will be collected during the trial project to determine if it is a success and if the roads will remain open. All complaints made to the city or police will be reviewed by staff and council.
3. The trial project starts May 1st and ATVs are NOT allowed on any roads in the City of Kawartha Lakes until May 1st, to coincide with the current bylaw for the opening of the trails.
4. SxS are not included in the trial project as they are currently still in the trial phase for the trails. Only ATVs are allowed. SxS will be discussed with council and city staff when the trial project is over.
5. ONLY the roads identified by the maps and the bylaw are open to ATV use. You CANNOT ride your ATV from your house to the trail or to a connecting road unless the road you live on is on the list of designated roads or maps.
6. Aftermarket or “loud” exhausts are not allowed on the roads or the trails and there is already a bylaw in place to enforce this. Running with loud exhausts will endanger the success of this project as well as future access to the trails.
7. STAY on the designated routes and follow the speed limits as set out by ONT Reg. 316/03:20km/hour if the speed limit is not greater than 50kms per hour 50km/hour if the speed limit is greater than 50kms per hour.
8. ATVs are only permitted on the roads and trails from 7:00am to 9:30pm.
9. As with the trails, the following also applies:- you must wear a helmet at all times- you must have a minimum G2 or M2 license- to ride with a passenger the ATV must be a legal 2up machine – a passenger must be a minimum of 8 years of age- you must be plated and insured.
We did the hard work to get this trial project approved, now it’s up to the riders to make it a success. It’s also your responsibility to police yourselves accordingly.
MAPS: KATVA_Road-Maps_2022.zip