Tuesday, October 31, 2006

SAFE STOLEN IN ECHO BAY BREAK IN

Echo Bay, Ont.,

Sault Ste Marie OPP are investigating a break and enter into the hardware store in Echo Bay.

Sometime in the darkened hours of Sunday night and Monday morning thieves forced their way into the store and stole a safe from the business. It is believed that the safe contained a quantity of cash from the weekend sales.

Later yesterday morning officers were called to a back road, east of Sault Ste Marie, where the safe was located. It appears that the thieves destroyed the safe in an attempt to get it opened. The contents in the safe were gone. Employees of the hardware store were conducting an inventory to see if anything else was taken from the store.

ATV’s on Municipal Streets and Highways

There seems to be come confusion regarding the use of ATV’s on public roadways.
The following is provided to help clarify that use.

Highway", includes a common and public highway, street, avenue, parkway, driveway, square, place, bridge, viaduct or trestle, any part of which is intended for or used by the general public for the passage of vehicles and includes the area between the lateral property lines thereof; ("route")

According to Regulation 316 of the Highway Traffic Act the following limitations apply to ATV’s on highways.
The ATV must have:
4 wheels, steering handlebars, a seat designed to be straddled by the driver, designed to carry only the driver- no passengers, low pressure tires,
White lamp(s) showing to the front and in use when on a highway, red lamp(s) to the rear, reflectors.
It must have a permit (licence plate) issue under the authority of section 9 of the Off Road vehicles Act and Insurance pursuant to section 2 of the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act and section 15 of the Off Road Vehicles Act.

The Driver must have a licence of class A,B,C,D,E,F,G,G2,M or M2.

The driver must wear a helmet that conforms to section 19 of the Off Road Vehicles Act.

Speed must be not greater than;

- 20 km/h in a zone where the highway speed is not greater than 50 km/h and
- 50 km/h in a zone where the highway speed is greater than 50 km/h

ATV’s shall be driven on the shoulder of the highway in the same direction as the traffic using the same side of the highway, but may be driven on the roadway IF there is no shoulder or the shoulder is obstructed and cannot be used by the off road vehicle.
When driven on the shoulder he vehicle shall be driven as close to and parallel with the right edge of the shoulder as can be done safely. When driven of=n the roadway it shall be driven as close to and parallel with the right edge of the roadway as can be done safely.

DO NOT get this confused with the Off Road Vehicles Act


Municipalities must make bylaws permitting the use of ATV’s on municipal roads and most have areas that are restrictive or prohibited from operating such vehicles. Check with your municipalities before operating on Municipal roadways.


For more information visit: www.e-laws.gov.on.ca