Riders should worry about new coalition

Dear Editor:

I read with some concern the article ‘Keeping the Peace’ in the Spectator, January 24, 2008. I think this article should start alarm bells ringing throughout the ATV/OHV community. If this group, The Coalition for Quiet Living, is successful it would mean that access to the abandoned railbed would be denied to ATV/OHV owners for much of the valley. The abandoned railbed is ideal for use by recreational vehicles as well as hikers, bikers and others and should be available to the public in general. If noise is a concern for these folks how would they like to go back to the days when heavily laden trains were thundering up and down the line?

If this group is successful without an alternate route for recreational vehicles, maybe the recreational vehicle owners should refuse to register their vehicles or at least to pay the additional 40 dollars for the upkeep of the trail. Why should they pay for building, upgrading and maintenance of the railbed only to be denied access and to have it held exclusively for a group that would probably contribute nothing?

Sincerely,

Donald Bailey

Annapolis Royal