Gypsum set to add fines to its ordinance allowing off highway vehicle use on town roads
Fines could start at $150 and go up from there
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
The Gypsum Town Council in 2019 passed an ordinance to allow off-highway vehicle users to ride from their homes to the trails outside of town. Some of that use has gotten out of hand.
The Gypsum Town Council this week delayed action on a new ordinance attaching fines to those caught violating the original ordinance. The delay was caused because the ordinance, due for a second and final reading, was improperly noticed. But the delay gave council members a chance to talk about what the new ordinance ought to accomplish.
The original ordinance was pretty strictly drawn. Off-highway vehicles used on town streets must be registered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, be properly insured, meet state regulations for proper brakes, mufflers and spark arrestors and have operating headlights and taillights.
Operators must have a current valid driver’s license, wear helmets if younger than 18, wear eye protection and use proper hand signals for turning and stopping.
The original ordinance was intended for operators to travel to trails just outside of town. Instead, council members said they’ve seen the vehicles used to stop at local stores, to drop kids at daycare and schools and for recreating on town streets.
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Council member Kathleen Brendza said the speed bumps on the street near her home have become jumps for youthful users.
While the new ordinance sets an escalating fine schedule — $150 for the first offense, going to $450 for a third offense — council member Tom Edwards noted that enforcement will be a problem.
“We only have a couple of officers at most at one time” on duty, Edwards said, adding that a lot of violators won’t be able to caught in the act.
On the other hand, Edwards said, if word of the fines gets around, that might discourage bad behavior.
Council member Scott Green agreed, noting that someone who goes home and tells his or her parents about a $250 fine will be in a good bit of trouble.
The second reading of the ordinance is now set for the council’s May 13 meeting.
