ATV issue is about noise, consideration

This week, the owners and riders of all-terrain vehicles won a decision in the name of property rights.

The Millstone Township Committee defeated a highly controversial ordinance after several residents spoke passionately against it. The ordinance would have limited the operation of ATVs, go-carts and motorized dirt bikes to private properties 6 acres or more in size.

It also would have set a maximum noise level and restricted the hours of operation for these vehicles.

If this ordinance had passed, we believe it would have seriously infringed on the rights of residents living on property smaller than 6 acres — and even in Millstone, many fall into this category.

Parents of riders would no longer have had the benefit of knowing exactly what their children are doing, and how safely they are riding by having them in their own back yard.

Instead, they would have been forced to haul them and their vehicles elsewhere.

As many residents said, these are taxpayers paying thousands of dollars per year to have their own land. They work for it, maintain it, and should be able to use it for recreation.

However, we do not fault the committee for its original intentions with this ordinance.

Officials had been fielding numerous noise complaints from fed-up neighbors of riders.

We just disagree with trying to solve a noise issue by requiring a certain property size.

The fault may instead lie squarely on the shoulders of a few inconsiderate riders.

No matter what the activity, it should be a common courtesy to take your neighbors into consideration.

In this case, it seems the courtesy is not so common.

We urge riders and parents of riders to take advantage of this mini-victory to begin a dialogue with your neighbors— even if you have tried unsuccessfully before.

Riders, make an effort to ride when your closest neighbors are not home. When this is not feasible, ride for a limited amount of time, knowing that every second of joy you are getting from riding is likely grating on your neighbor’s nerves.

We believe it is up to you to "police yourselves," as Deputy Mayor Elias Abilheira put it, or there will be more complaints, and more regulations to follow.

In the end, we all have to live together.