Off-Road Vehicle Bill Fails to Advance in State Legislature Local Communities Voice Concerns Over Expanded Use  Olympia, WA – On January 28th, members of the Quiet Communities Coalition, a broad coalition of community interests concerned about the irresponsible use of off-road vehicles, visited legislators in Olympia to express their concern over a bill that would dramatically and inappropriately expand the use of off-road vehicles in Washington State.   HB 3016, sponsored by Reps. Warnick (Moses Lake), Kretz (Wauconda), and Hinkle (Cle Elum), would have allowed municipalities of any size to designate any county or city road for off-road vehicle use. The bill would have expanded upon legislation passed last year which allowed towns of 3,000 or less to designate city and county roads for ORV use. HB 3016 would have eliminated the size restriction, allowing a municipality of any size, even as large as Seattle, to allow ORV use on its roads.   Several people, representing various state and local recreation, transportation, and community groups attended the hearing on the bill and voiced their opposition. Among them was Bob Whittaker representing the Quiet Communities Coalition.  Whittaker pointed out that last year’s bill has been used to irresponsibly and dramatically increase an ORV network across Ferry County – a serene, pastoral landscape that is appreciated by residents for its peace and quiet.  Whittaker made clear that there are roads that make sense for ATV recreation, but the broad approach in Ferry and Stevens Counties that opened hundreds of miles of rural roads to ATVs just won’t work.   He pointed out that the county ordinances developed as a result of last year’s bill ignore the adverse impact unplanned and unmanaged ATV activity will have on other important drivers of Washington’s economy, including the income brought in by baby boomers looking for quiet communities to retire, wildlife watching, hiking, biking, camping, small town tourist activities, and hunting.   “ORV riders have the right to recreate in appropriate places but they don’t have the right to run unchecked all over the county, threatening the community’s quiet quality of life, also its a safety issue with our substandard county roads." said Whittaker.   The coalition also has concerns about increased noise and dust, vandalism, trespass, private property damage, and safety for drivers. Exacerbating these concerns is the lack of enforcement.   According to the National Association of Counties, local and county law enforcement officials are increasingly spending their time dealing with off-road vehicle-related issues. Reckless riders are putting a burden on law enforcement officers, who aren't given the resources to keep up with the increasing amount of irresponsible and illegal behavior, and the riders are sticking taxpayers with the bill.     Members of the transportation committee heard these concerns loud and clear, and asked Rep. Warnick to work with the groups to address their concerns. Given the controversy, the bill was with drawn February 8th and will not move out of the transportation committee this legislative session.