I copied and pasted [and compressed] the comments from the Salt Lake Tribune. Covers roughly, the last 24+ hours. Interesting ..... how "moab mike" became the designated spokesman for all things "Moab" ..
Letter: ATVs are ruining Moab, and local communities should have the power to regulate them
Comments
The Salt Lake Tribune Community Table
60
Thomas Patton
a day ago
Drivers of street legal UTV/ATV's are required by law to follow and comply with motor vehicle laws. One time at a 4-way stop in Moab there was a gaggle of them to my right. As the first one was stopped there before I stopped, I stopped and let him go as is required...then the whole line of them (10-12) followed. We now avoid Moab at all costs.
77
The trouble with all terrain vehicles is that most of their owners think they are free to drive on all of the terrain.
90
dan76
▸ RIPutecougar
12 hours ago
The evidence of such an attitude is apparent throughout the area .
63
ootahn
▸ dan76
12 hours ago
You don't even have to look that far. The evidence of such an attitude is apparent throughout this comment board.
86
Bill Revene
a day ago
Think of the entitled...aka Phil Lyman mentality.
74
Frank Heath
a day ago
The picture with this article is wrong. It is not an atv/utv/side by side. Rather it is a 4x4 “rock crawler” suv, which is an entirely different animal.
88
wasatchcascade
21 hours ago
The rock crawler in the photo is not the problem per se the author is talking about; the adults in the background though, standing, gawking & waiting is part of the story line as to what has happened to the Moab region & BLM lands where UTV & four wheeling is allowed. At the spring Eastern Jeep Safari there are scads of routes (BLM) land where thousands of 4x4 riders go, & in the last decade UTV (other days in the year) collect in these same zone routes, and some of these vehicle, not trailered, drive right from town. Others use trailers, but when in town drive UTV's. Locals with UTV drive them to the post office or grocery store. UT is a one-party state & the R's seek to & do control much of it. They often vocalize the need for local control but flip that when putting in "state" mandates "as they know better". It will take a move from the Governor to change anything here, (push the legislature) for the R side in the House & Senate simply don't care about Moab or any other municipality. If citizens were "moneyed interests" and made noise, legislators would jump to attention. UTV groups during Trump's term came close to getting into National Parks & then Park officials "pushed back" and this was stopped. Their numbers are enormous & they have strong legislative backing - in rural or farm areas, they are appropriate on private land & fit in some dirt road areas. They don't need a ubiquitous web & net though in FS, BLM & then urban centers too.
70
E101XOR
18 hours ago
I don't have an ATV or any of the vehicles listed. If i did, and it was street legal, I'm not sure I'm on board with some jurisdiction passing a rule specific to that kind of vehicle that would deny me passage especially on a state road. BTW. i also don't like speed traps wherever they might be.
53
Nate Shoup
17 hours ago
If you want to go watch birds, go to a bird refuge or a zoo. Your at MOAB, its kind of known for wheeling and riding. This article is like going to a airshow and complaining about airplanes and noise. If you dont like the noise dont attend, pretty simple. Awesome waste of a publication. Maybe next time you should write about schools and how the kids there annoy you.
63
ootahn
▸ Nate Shoup
17 hours ago
The UTV issue in Moab has only been around for less than a decade, with it getting to a breaking point in the past 5 years. Telling longtime locals to essentially get over it or move is ridiculous. No one moved to Moab to live in the constant drone of UTVs from before sun up to well after sun down, every day. The entitled attitude of UTV
visitors to the community is astounding.
40
dezrik
▸ ootahn
12 hours ago
A true local is for the off-road community weather it's utv or jeeps. These new residents they like to call themselves "locals" but they are in fact transplants. Once you ban atv/ohv/utv/dirt bikes etc, where do you think all the search and rescue funds are going to come from? It dang sure isn't going to be the hikers, hikers or sightseers.
63
ootahn
▸ dezrik
12 hours ago
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. There isn't a more unifying issue in Moab right now than the disdain for UTVs and the way they're destroying the quality of life for residents--born-and-raised Moabites and newcomers alike. This issue crosses all political lines. And you're assertion that Moab lives or dies by motorized recreation has no basis in fact. Not only does motorized recreation make up a fraction of tourism, but the outsized negative impact on public lands and every other non-motorized user group is driving visitors away. This is especially true for UTVs.
84
moab mike
▸ dezrik
7 hours ago
moab utah
grand county search and rescue is well funded without donations from the UTV crowd...and why do they donate?
because they require rescue...?
53
Nate Shoup
▸ ootahn
12 hours ago
Times are changing, some don't adapt. I'm sure country folk that get bought up by corporations don't like it either, still doesn't stop the change. I'm a lifetime rider of motocross. For the most part, the UTV/ATV community is some of the best people to be associated with, unfortunately for you it doesn't align with your prospective....
84
moab mike
▸ Nate Shoup
14 hours ago
moab utah
pure BS nate.
we in Moab didn't ask for, or want, these motorized menaces on our roads, nor do we want them ripping up our trails.
this was forced on us by the fools on the hill.
it's telling that the motor heads insist on coming where they're not wanted.
look up the numbers: motorized visitors make up less than 10% of our visitation.
53
Nate Shoup
▸ moab mike
12 hours ago
So you are mad at increased revenue and people coming to a park to legally do what they are allowed to. Interesting. I guess i could understand illegal activity, but not this, but I also don't believe Biden got more votes than obama
......
84
moab mike
▸ Nate Shoup
7 hours ago
moab utah
it was illegal until the jerks who preach "local control" took away local control.
and we're plenty busy without the motorized menaces.
nice spin anyway.
84
moab mike
14 hours ago
moab utah
it's telling what kind of visitors the UTV crowd are that they'll sue the city and county to come where they aren't welcome or wanted.
we thrive on tourists, but we sure don't need their obnoxiously loud and disruptive machines.
come visit, yes.
leave your land destroyer at home.
90
dan76
▸ moab mike
12 hours ago
I'm reminded of a past backpacking trip with a recently returned combat veteran. Our goal was for him to enjoy the tranquility of the outdoors he has loved since his toddler days. We had hiked into a remote area and set up camp. For several hours we talked of his recent experiences in the quiet of the wilderness. That is until a group of folks riding UTVs showed, set up camp about 100 meters away and started a series of raucous drinking games. Both of us expected a sleepless night and sure enough our predictions were accurate.
As the early AM hours progressed, he slipped away but returned shortly afterwards. Moments later the generator coughed and fell silent bringing an end to the lights and music.
While I thought I knew what he had done, it wasn't until years later he confessed to sabotaging both the generator and several UTVs. He expressed a wish the group had brought sufficient tow ropes to drag the disabled machines out.
77
SterlingMorrison
13 hours ago
In rural Utah, ATV's and UTV's are one notch below guns. These hilljacks truly believe they have a constitutional right to ride their "wheelers" anywhere they damn well please.
89
4strings4ever
13 hours ago
Earth, at a very interesting time.
Just wait, I am sure someone is working on rigging a Jeep with an oil drill....and Utah will legalize it.
78
Svlad
11 hours ago
Ah, conservatives and their "state's rights" principles! Turns out those rights belong only to the states, not to local bodies as a sane person would expect.
40
Ray Smith
5 hours ago
Can I still ride my unicorn there?
83
Helpontheway
3 hours ago
Traveler of Time and Space
Utah is becoming less and less attractive to visit. We used to visit the Moab area with our bicycles a few times each year up until a couple of years ago, after watching the town turn into a red rock racetrack with frequent Main Street traffic jams, and Arches becoming unbearably packed. In 2017, we decided to gas up in Green River and stay on I-70 for another hour to Grand Junction. The lack of crowds and vistas at Colorado National Monument were a breath of fresh air, without the UTV noise and congested traffic. We have returned several times since, and look forward to exploring the area more this year.
www.azbackroads.com
