How to keep sledders on trail?

[whitedust]

Did the problem correct itself with bare roads?

 

[MZEMS2]

I agree with the idea of putting bigger signs up at the outskirts of town. Maybe some special signs that indicate which signs to follow through town. Use lots of the green route signs and put them in easy-to-see places. Maybe the police don't wanna get involved since it's recreational vehicles, which might mean getting the DNR involved..?? Lots of orange blazers and green route signs.

 

[Firecatguy]

I agree with the idea of putting bigger signs up at the outskirts of town. Maybe some special signs that indicate which signs to follow through town. Use lots of the green route signs and put them in easy-to-see places. Maybe the police don't wanna get involved since it's recreational vehicles, which might mean getting the DNR involved..?? Lots of orange blazers and green route signs.

in my town here inmetro we can ride on any given street as long as your in route to and from a trail...that means to trail from your house....one ski allowed on snow bank is all you can do here if your in someones yard your breaking the law......the police have no issue, they stop you and your not in direct route to a trail your getting a ticket........the town next to me only allows a few direct streets to the trail...meaning you might have to go over 2 blocks to get to a street that is leagal to take to trail...they have more issue with people in yards and off trail as its very vauge what to do.....my town no way to say you didnt know....

 

[zltim]

A long long time ago I was in a strange town with poorly marked in town trail signs(Minnesota was very poor at marking then). My young son and I were at a stop light to cross the main street and state highway and cop pulled up next to me and asked where I was going. I said to eat and he just said follow me.

Great outcome that could have cost me a bundle.

 

[lenny]

in my town here inmetro we can ride on any given street as long as your in route to and from a trail...that means to trail from your house....one ski allowed on snow bank is all you can do here if your in someones yard your breaking the law......the police have no issue, they stop you and your not in direct route to a trail your getting a ticket........the town next to me only allows a few direct streets to the trail...meaning you might have to go over 2 blocks to get to a street that is leagal to take to trail...they have more issue with people in yards and off trail as its very vauge what to do.....my town no way to say you didnt know....

now that is reasonable and friendly towards sledders, glad to hear it

A long long time ago I was in a strange town with poorly marked in town trail signs(Minnesota was very poor at marking then). My young son and I were at a stop light to cross the main street and state highway and cop pulled up next to me and asked where I was going. I said to eat and he just said follow me.

Great outcome that could have cost me a bundle.

nice cop, there used to sleds unlike many states to the south.

 

[teamblue]

I am a board member of this club,(Oaks ridge riders) we are simply looking for suggestions on how to keep sledders on the trails in town. and not on Churchs,Schools,Business and private property. Wanting to let the renegades know that they cant just ride anywhere there is snow. It is not a free for all. We have hundreds of sleds travel thru town, if these sledders would belong to a club they would understand more about the trail system and how it gets put in. ALL VOLUNTEER and many hours of club members of less than 30. so garyl62 what club do you belong to? your only 8 miles away we could use more help.

 

[trailblazer]

Teamblue & Bankers_hours,

Good Luck getting it in some peoples heads that it is not ok to just go where ever you want because there is snow there, weather it's a ditch or a town street.

I'm a President of a local club in Wisconsin and it's getting harder and harder to keep land owners happy every year because of these people that think it is ok to go wherever. Some of the problems are they just do not understand how hard it is to get permission from land owners to go across there property.

Every year we'll get a couple of younger guys to join and help mark trails or brush trails that will say at a meeting........we just had NO idea how much work it is to have trails, and how hard it is to keep land owners and Town Officials happy.....(it's A LOT of a** kissing). So I would have to say garyl62 probably does not belong to a club and really has no idea what bankers_hours is talking about, but he will in a couple of years when there are no longer trails around at all.

 

[teamblue]

Very well said, Thanks for understanding.

Teamblue & Bankers_hours,

Good Luck getting it in some peoples heads that it is not ok to just go where ever you want because there is snow there, weather it's a ditch or a town street.

I'm a President of a local club in Wisconsin and it's getting harder and harder to keep land owners happy every year because of these people that think it is ok to go wherever. Some of the problems are they just do not understand how hard it is to get permission from land owners to go across there property.

Every year we'll get a couple of younger guys to join and help mark trails or brush trails that will say at a meeting........we just had NO idea how much work it is to have trails, and how hard it is to keep land owners and Town Officials happy.....(it's A LOT of a** kissing). So I would have to say garyl62 probably does not belong to a club and really has no idea what bankers_hours is talking about, but he will in a couple of years when there are no longer trails around at all.

 

[Ramsey]

I am a board member of this club,(Oaks ridge riders) we are simply looking for suggestions on how to keep sledders on the trails in town. and not on Churchs,Schools,Business and private property. Wanting to let the renegades know that they cant just ride anywhere there is snow. It is not a free for all. We have hundreds of sleds travel thru town, if these sledders would belong to a club they would understand more about the trail system and how it gets put in. ALL VOLUNTEER and many hours of club members of less than 30. so garyl62 what club do you belong to? your only 8 miles away we could use more help.

I'm thinking the solution to this problem rests on local authorities. One snowy weekend is all it will take writing tickets and the word will get out.
You are likely wasting money if you buy more signs, the people who are going to take the time to read them are the ones that are already staying on the trail. Speak to your local police department and come up with a solution.

 

[garyl62]

I am a board member of this club,(Oaks ridge riders) we are simply looking for suggestions on how to keep sledders on the trails in town. and not on Churchs,Schools,Business and private property. Wanting to let the renegades know that they cant just ride anywhere there is snow. It is not a free for all. We have hundreds of sleds travel thru town, if these sledders would belong to a club they would understand more about the trail system and how it gets put in. ALL VOLUNTEER and many hours of club members of less than 30. so garyl62 what club do you belong to? your only 8 miles away we could use more help.

Teamblue & Bankers_hours,

Good Luck getting it in some peoples heads that it is not ok to just go where ever you want because there is snow there, weather it's a ditch or a town street.

I'm a President of a local club in Wisconsin and it's getting harder and harder to keep land owners happy every year because of these people that think it is ok to go wherever. Some of the problems are they just do not understand how hard it is to get permission from land owners to go across there property.

Every year we'll get a couple of younger guys to join and help mark trails or brush trails that will say at a meeting........we just had NO idea how much work it is to have trails, and how hard it is to keep land owners and Town Officials happy.....(it's A LOT of a** kissing). So I would have to say garyl62 probably does not belong to a club and really has no idea what bankers_hours is talking about, but he will in a couple of years when there are no longer trails around at all.

OK, so I've been called out and will reply, but I don't intend to get into a back and forth with comments.

I understand what goes into a trail system. I also believe in supporting the system where you ride. I guess I could have been more clear in my initial post about riding in Roscoe. I did it 4 years ago, I haven't registered (or ridden) a sled in IL since my registration expired 3 years ago. For the last 3 years I've only ridden 1 time in WI but I still keep my sleds registered there and pay for permits just in case we decided to take a trip sometime. Other than that 1 day trip to WI all my riding since 2010 has been in the Keweenaw. So because of that, after one year of riding up there without working on the trails I made plans to go on a trail clean-up weekend 2 years ago. Something happened at home and I couldn't go. This fall I signed up again, and had 3 guys say they would go too. They all backed out, but there was no way I was not going. I took vacation from work, drove 425 miles each way and worked 2 full days on trail brushing and clean up because I know that in order for me to enjoy the trails in the winter, work needs to be done before the snow files. So if you ride on 3, 17, or 124 you will go past some the corners we cut back, see signs we cleared brush away from, and will pass logs on the side of the trail we moved out of the way.

If I rode the trails in Roscoe I'd be a very committed member of your club because I believe in being very involved in activities that I sign up for. Since I never ride around here any more I don't see the logic in joining a club just because its close to me. I'd rather join a club where I ride which is between Mass City and Copper Harbor and honestly I've been looking to do that for the past few weeks but I haven't been vigilant enough to search from down here. I'm planning to join one before the end of January on one of my trips coming up.

Good luck with your concerns and if you start getting complaints about people riding off the trail I hope there will be a way riders can be made aware of the issues before the trail is shut down.

 

[snobuilder]

I have no idea of the scope of where the off trail riders are going but if it is a narrow spot, alleyway, back yard,etc....maybe a saw horse with a keep out or stay on trail warning would get the msg. across.

In walworth and Racine Co. we have several trails along roadsides and a few disgruntled home owners will block the trail with caution tape, snow fence, 2x4's, saw horses etc...... damnear to the pavement, which is both dangerous and illegel,....but it seems to work none the less

 

[bankers_hours]

OK, so I've been called out and will reply, but I don't intend to get into a back and forth with comments.

I understand what goes into a trail system. I also believe in supporting the system where you ride. I guess I could have been more clear in my initial post about riding in Roscoe. I did it 4 years ago, I haven't registered (or ridden) a sled in IL since my registration expired 3 years ago. For the last 3 years I've only ridden 1 time in WI but I still keep my sleds registered there and pay for permits just in case we decided to take a trip sometime. Other than that 1 day trip to WI all my riding since 2010 has been in the Keweenaw. So because of that, after one year of riding up there without working on the trails I made plans to go on a trail clean-up weekend 2 years ago. Something happened at home and I couldn't go. This fall I signed up again, and had 3 guys say they would go too. They all backed out, but there was no way I was not going. I took vacation from work, drove 425 miles each way and worked 2 full days on trail brushing and clean up because I know that in order for me to enjoy the trails in the winter, work needs to be done before the snow files. So if you ride on 3, 17, or 124 you will go past some the corners we cut back, see signs we cleared brush away from, and will pass logs on the side of the trail we moved out of the way.

If I rode the trails in Roscoe I'd be a very committed member of your club because I believe in being very involved in activities that I sign up for. Since I never ride around here any more I don't see the logic in joining a club just because its close to me. I'd rather join a club where I ride which is between Mass City and Copper Harbor and honestly I've been looking to do that for the past few weeks but I haven't been vigilant enough to search from down here. I'm planning to join one before the end of January on one of my trips coming up.

Good luck with your concerns and if you start getting complaints about people riding off the trail I hope there will be a way riders can be made aware of the issues before the trail is shut down.

Gary, thanks for your comments.

 

[Team Elkhorn]

OK, so I've been called out and will reply, but I don't intend to get into a back and forth with comments.

I understand what goes into a trail system. I also believe in supporting the system where you ride.

If I rode the trails in Roscoe I'd be a very committed member of your club because I believe in being very involved in activities that I sign up for. Since I never ride around here any more I don't see the logic in joining a club just because its close to me. I'd rather join a club where I ride which is between Mass City and Copper Harbor and honestly I've been looking to do that for the past few weeks but I haven't been vigilant enough to search from down here. I'm planning to join one before the end of January on one of my trips coming up.

Good luck with your concerns and if you start getting complaints about people riding off the trail I hope there will be a way riders can be made aware of the issues before the trail is shut down.

The death song for trails in Illinois and southern Wisconsin. At this rate, I give the trails down here another 20 years and they're gone.
But why should I care since I wouldn't be riding them anymore anyway?

 

[doogirl]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, and may not apply to this specific situation, is education. I don't mean just in snow safety classes, but every day riding situations. Let me give you an example. I ride with a large group of friends and part of that group has some younger riders who are very excited to be on these trail rides. Last year while on a ride, two or three members of this young group would jump onto fields that had no tracks, or jump banks without knowing what was on the other side. One of them ran into a phone line box, breaking it. Those fields were next to the trail, and while not marked or posted as do not enter, just the idea that it was private property did not seem to occur to these young men. While I would like to say that our senior members "educated" these young men on appropriate riding habits, the respect of private property and accepting responsibility for ones actions, I am ashamed to admit that no one, including myself, reprimanded these boys, or let them know their actions could cost us trails in the future. Stepping up is hard, and while I expected the parents or relatives of these kids to say something, my goal for this riding season is to have the courage to confront inappropriate riding behavior as I see it, at least in my little group. These kids are the future leaders in our clubs, but still need to be guided. Not going to help in your situation, I know, but food for thought.

 

[whitedust]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, and may not apply to this specific situation, is education. I don't mean just in snow safety classes, but every day riding situations. Let me give you an example. I ride with a large group of friends and part of that group has some younger riders who are very excited to be on these trail rides. Last year while on a ride, two or three members of this young group would jump onto fields that had no tracks, or jump banks without knowing what was on the other side. One of them ran into a phone line box, breaking it. Those fields were next to the trail, and while not marked or posted as do not enter, just the idea that it was private property did not seem to occur to these young men. While I would like to say that our senior members "educated" these young men on appropriate riding habits, the respect of private property and accepting responsibility for ones actions, I am ashamed to admit that no one, including myself, reprimanded these boys, or let them know their actions could cost us trails in the future. Stepping up is hard, and while I expected the parents or relatives of these kids to say something, my goal for this riding season is to have the courage to confront inappropriate riding behavior as I see it, at least in my little group. These kids are the future leaders in our clubs, but still need to be guided. Not going to help in your situation, I know, but food for thought.

We have all been in that situation nothing you can do while they are on a romp other than sit there & glare at them if they even notice. I found it is best to keep riding this way the need to keep up with group or be separated & deal with it later off the sleds.

 

[POLARISDAN]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, and may not apply to this specific situation, is education. I don't mean just in snow safety classes, but every day riding situations. Let me give you an example. I ride with a large group of friends and part of that group has some younger riders who are very excited to be on these trail rides. Last year while on a ride, two or three members of this young group would jump onto fields that had no tracks, or jump banks without knowing what was on the other side. One of them ran into a phone line box, breaking it. Those fields were next to the trail, and while not marked or posted as do not enter, just the idea that it was private property did not seem to occur to these young men. While I would like to say that our senior members "educated" these young men on appropriate riding habits, the respect of private property and accepting responsibility for ones actions, I am ashamed to admit that no one, including myself, reprimanded these boys, or let them know their actions could cost us trails in the future. Stepping up is hard, and while I expected the parents or relatives of these kids to say something, my goal for this riding season is to have the courage to confront inappropriate riding behavior as I see it, at least in my little group. These kids are the future leaders in our clubs, but still need to be guided. Not going to help in your situation, I know, but food for thought.

kid was lucky it was only a box and not a concrete block or telephone pole..and yes sometimes the youth get singled out here..but the ricky's of the world are a big problem..just saying...

 

[snobuilder]

Luck?...I say talent...to each his own.

Live strong, Ricky.

 

[POLARISDAN]

Luck?...I say talent...to each his own.

Live strong, Ricky.

reread his post..the kid went off trail and hit a phone box..how is this talented? it is a youthful mistake that could have been much more tragic!! and u r defending his actions as talented?

and I am not sure if u r saying u r a ricky racer or not..but I myself am getting sick of people coming at me on my side of the trail..had a guy just miss me in northern mn couple weeks ago..no idea of age but riding a corner fast and left of center..i saw him s*#t his pants when he saw me..i was full right so he missed me..but I was very concerned for the guy behind me in case he wasn't completely right..

we ride very fast and hard..all im saying is keep the speed to straighawys..slow down and stay right on hills and corners..is this so hard to understand? and STAY ON TRAIL!!!!!!!

 

[HIGHLANDER]

line the path you want them to take with a few lost bags a pot...?

lol!

 

[sledboy482]

Having never ridden in Illinois, maybe this doesn't apply, but your city council or village board can enact an ordinance designating snowmobile routes. Once that is done and they are marked, it is the duty of the police to enforce that. I am a law enforcement officer, and use to be the trail enforcement coordinator. They have to enforce what the local codes are. This cannot be a good ole boys type of enforcement. Has to be fair across the board. Once some idiots who can't follow signs get tickets, you're problem will diminish.

QUOTE=teamblue;350508]I am a board member of this club,(Oaks ridge riders) we are simply looking for suggestions on how to keep sledders on the trails in town. and not on Churchs,Schools,Business and private property. Wanting to let the renegades know that they cant just ride anywhere there is snow. It is not a free for all. We have hundreds of sleds travel thru town, if these sledders would belong to a club they would understand more about the trail system and how it gets put in. ALL VOLUNTEER and many hours of club members of less than 30. so garyl62 what club do you belong to? your only 8 miles away we could use more help.[/QUOTE]