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● What is the difference between an ATV and a UTV?

An ATV is a vehicle with 3 or more wheels which the rider straddles the center of the machine while riding and steers using handlebars. A UTV is a vehicle where 1 or more riders are seated similar to a car and the accelerator, brake, and steering controls are also very similar to a car. UTVs are equipped with roll cages and seat belts. Both ATVs and UTVs are registered in WI by the DNR and the regulations for each are virtually identical. Throughout this document both will be referred to as ATVs.

● What are the benefits of ATV/UTV Road Routes?
ATVing is a great outdoor recreational activity. Many families participate in riding together. It often results in people setting aside electronic devices and going out and being social. There is a positive financial impact. Annual ATV  related spending in Wisconsin is estimated to account for $1-$4 billion of the $12.9 billion annual tourism revenue in WI.

● Which roads can a municipality open as ATV/UTV routes?
Under state statute 23.33 a municipality can open routes on all municipal roads
regardless of their speed limit. Additionally they can open routes on state and county roads or portions of state and county roads within its boundaries with a speed limit of 35  mph or less. Counties have the authority to open county roads regardless of the speed limit but there is typically a speed limit of 35 mph for ATV.

● Are there safety concerns?
Of course there are. No different than any other vehicle whether an automobile,
motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian on a public roadway there is potential for accidents. However on the more than 52,000 miles of Wisconsin roadway already ATV routes there is a .0003% chance of a fatality on a legal road route. In fact the majority of fatalities on ATVs occur on private property, public trails and illegally driving on public roads (not on approved routes). Any operator born after January 1, 1988 is required to complete an ATV safety course prior to operating an ATV. Okauchee Area ATV/UTV Club is proud to have 10 members recently certified by WI DNR as Certified Safety Instructors and will be offering in person ATV safety instruction.

● Are ATVs loud?
Wisconsin law limits ATV noise emissions to 96 decibels. Modification to the exhaust system resulting in louder noise emission is prohibited by law and a citation can be issued for doing so. Unlike many on-highway motorcycles this law is typically enforced. If there is a large group of any type of traffic (car, motorcycle, etc) there is typically a significant amount of noise. However since there are no ATV trails in our area it is unlikely large groups of ATVs will be traveling through our town often.

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● Why do we seek to open town roads which are not connected to other proposed town road routes?​​​

Just because they cannot be connected to the rest of the proposed route network initially does not mean they will remain disconnected indefinitely. Whether through action taken by the county or legislative changes to 23.33 we will seek to have these roads connected in the near future. Some residents who live on these roads may utilize the routes to visit neighbors, maintain their property, etc. Furthermore, why would we deny the same privilege to any town residents?

● Will my subdivision become a race track?
No. Our proposal includes a provision to prohibit “cruising”. Other reasons we can confidently answer this way include the average age of an ATVer is 46 years. Small circles and dead end routes are not very entertaining to ride and tires are very expensive and wear rapidly on paved roads.

● Will we be seeking ATV trails in our area?
No. Considering land values and population in SE WI we do not believe any new public ATV trails will ever be added. Furthermore we will never seek access to snowmobile trails as we respect their efforts to develop and maintain their trail network and will not ask to impose upon them. We are simply asking to be allowed on the existing roads as permitted by state statute 23.33. Additionally we also pay the same gas tax as automobiles which funds the roads. Okauchee Area ATV/UTV Club Inc. has volunteered to pay for the signage required by means of fundraising events and thru private donations.

● I’ve seen some bizarre things on Youtube, TikTok, etc involving ATVs. Do we expect that sort of thing to become normal here?
Absolutely not. You simply cannot believe everything you see on the internet. That is not the sort of behavior that is typical of or tolerated by our residents and most visitors to our area.

● Will there be a large volume of ATV traffic in our area?
Given the absence any trails in our area we do not believe there will be a large enough volume of ATV traffic to generate excessive noise complaints or to place an unreasonable burden on our area police departments, fire departments, commuters and residents.

What we do believe and our neighboring towns have already proven is that there will be enough traffic to supplement our local economy while creating an outdoor recreational opportunity for residents within their own community.