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By rdnewsNOW Staff

WILL SEEK PUBLIC INPUT

Sylvan Lake town council passes first reading of OHV bylaw

Aug 28, 2024 | 4:35 PM

Sylvan Lake’s town council has passed the first reading of a new off-highway vehicle (OHV) bylaw and directed administration to prepare a plan for resident feedback before they move to second and third reading.

In the August 26 regular council meeting, Off-Highway Vehicle Bylaw 1904-2024, which would allow for OHV operation in town during the winter, was presented to council.

Administration reviewed Chestermere’s OHV pilot project and engaged with Brownlee LLP to draft a bylaw with the following primary guidelines:

• This bylaw only applies to highways under the direction, control and management of the Town of Sylvan Lake and does not affect provincial highways (Hwy 20).
• All OHV’s must be properly registered and insured pursuant to the Alberta Traffic Safety Act.
• All OHV’s must be equipped with headlamps, taillamps, and exhaust muffler, and such equipment as required by the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Regulation.
• Max speed of 40km/h
• Operator must be at least 16 years of age and hold a valid Class 1 to Class 6 Operator’s Licence
• May be 14 years of age and holds a valid Class 7 Operator’s Licence and is supervised by a person at least 18 years of age and holds a valid Class 1 to Class 6 Operator’s Licence

The Town’s Municipal Enforcement expressed concern about the bylaw as they say off-highway vehicles already travel in town and cause noise disturbances, damage to parks and trails, and the operators often don’t stop for law enforcement. They also said that Sylvan Lake has a large enough population and traffic flow that adding OHV’s could increase the risk of traffic accidents.

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In response to the differing views on the benefits of the bylaw, council opted to pass first reading and then pursue public feedback opportunities before a final decision is made.

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