Topic: Riverside Beware

[Rocksurfer]

I was reading this article and noted a few shocking items in it, no not that people are riding in the foothills and washes illegally since when I lived there they were always riding in the hills above my house, no not that it is becoming harder and harder to ride there since it has always been illegal anyways, no I wasn't even shocked that somebody took potshots at a couple deputies. What shocked me was that deputies took shots at fleeing riders just because they were not stopping for them, and also drew down on a couple other riders, but the biggest thing that really pissed me off was this statement: "It is a sad story," she said, "but the only property people are entitled to is their own." Sure I understand that it is illegal to ride there and it is possibly private property but that does not give them the right to try and shoot you when you are not a threat. Plus that statement is a bunch of BS too since even if it is your property I bet they'd still give you grief.

http://www.pe.com/wow/offroad/stories/wow_Frustrate_off-roaders.31bb4b2.html
Riverside County rules frustrate off-roaders | WOW! | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

Riverside County rules frustrate off-roaders

05:08 PM PDT on Thursday, June 5, 2008

By SARAH BURGE
The Press-Enterprise

On any given weekend in Riverside County, it's easy to find off-roaders roaring up dusty hillsides.

But chances are good these days that they are breaking the law.

With a restrictive county noise ordinance now in effect, combined with trespassing, dust control and other laws, off-roaders say there are few areas where it is legal to ride anymore.

Another county ordinance that would further restrict off-road vehicles on private property is under review.

Meg Grossglass, spokeswoman for the Off-Road Business Association, said, "There are tons of places where people have traditionally ridden," such as washes, creek beds and undeveloped dirt lots. "But it's always been illegal."

Until recently, she said, the laws were not enforced.

"It's the urban sprawl," Grossglass said. "It's finally moving up."

Tempers Flare

With the increase in enforcement have come reports of clashes between officers and riders.

Bron Scott, 37, of Juniper Flats, said he has ridden dirt bikes around the county his entire life and never had a problem with police. Over the past year, however, he has noticed a marked increase in enforcement.

"You can't ride anywhere," Scott said.

Recently, he was riding with friends in the Homeland Hills area on trails he thought were owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Sheriff's deputies approached them with guns drawn ordering them to the ground. The deputies had been trying to pull them over, Scott said, but he and the other riders didn't realize it because of the noise from their bikes.

"I'm glad I didn't have my kids with me," Scott said. "It was like I was an armed robber or something."

One weekend last month, a sheriff's deputy fired several shots at a pair of fleeing off-roaders along the north shore of Canyon Lake. They were in the midst of some 30 people spending the day in the hilly area popular among riders. Sheriff's officials said the two men had been riding illegally.

Off-road deputies have also been targeted. Sheriff's spokesman Tom Freeman said someone took a few shots at deputies last weekend in the hills west of Gavilan Springs Ranch Road near Lake Mathews. The shooters were not found.

'Cowboy' Territory

Sheriff Bob Doyle said off-roading is a major issue at every community meeting he attends.

"It's causing problems," he said. "That's one of the situations that evolve from urbanization. With our growth, we've got a lot of areas that are being infringed on. There's less and less dirt available."

Enforcement is being stepped up in response to complaints of infringements, Doyle said.

There is the lingering impression among some, he added, that Riverside County is some remote "cowboy" territory where anything goes. "We've got to change that mentality."

At the same time, Doyle said, he sympathizes with those who ask for accessible, legal places to ride.

"You're always going to have people that are too lazy to go to those areas," he said, but "if there were more legal areas, we would probably have less violations."

At least 1,295 off-road violations were reported over the past year, said sheriff's spokesman Jerry Franchville. But that doesn't begin to capture the total. An accurate count is not available because of the variety of potential violations and variations in reporting by stations, Franchville said.

Grossglass said the county needs to provide alternative riding areas if they are going to crack down on off-roaders.

"They need to know that the problem is not going to go away," she said. "It needs to be managed."

Grossglass cited DMV statistics showing more than 900,000 off-highway vehicles are registered statewide, more than 84,000 of which are in Riverside County. Likewise, almost 133,000 vehicles are in Los Angeles County. Many of those riders come out here, she said.

The county has some privately run motocross tracks, she said, but those are geared toward racers and don't fit the needs of the average family.

Grossglass pointed to an off-road park proposed for a 520-acre site off Highway 79 east of Temecula as an example of the kind of facility riders want. According to a Riverside County planning commission report, the privately-owned park, known as Temecula Ranch, would include 72 acres for off-highway vehicles, as well as paint ball and mountain-biking areas.

Environmental Concerns

The proposal is encountering opposition from residents who say it would be a nuisance and create environmental problems such as erosion along Temecula Creek. Several residents spoke out against it at a recent planning commission meeting.

Riverside County Deputy Planning Director Mark Balys said the county is working to find alternatives for off-roaders. The Board of Supervisors created an off-highway vehicle commission last year. Right now, it is looking for appropriate sites. How those sites would be developed remains to be seen, Balys said, but it would likely be in cooperation with private operators.

Western Riverside County does have at least one designated public spot for off-road-vehicles: the Wildomar OHV Area accessible off Highway 74. Jake Rodriguez, with the U.S. Forest Service Trebuco Ranger District, said it's about 360 acres and has about eight miles of interconnected trails that run through trees and chaparral. There's also a small area known as the "tot lot," a fenced off loop for young riders.

Riders Want Open Space

Mona Daniels, a Bureau of Land Management outdoor recreation planner, said there are trails in eastern Riverside County open to off-roaders on motorbikes, quads and the like. She said anyone who wants information about those trails may meet with a BLM recreation planner.

When off-roaders complain about the lack of places to ride they aren't talking about trail riding, Daniels said. They want open areas such as the dunes at Glamis in Imperial County or Johnson Valley in San Bernardino County. It's not realistic to expect those kinds of open spaces right out your back door, Daniels said.

Many riders don't recognize the importance of protected wilderness areas such as the Coachella Valley Preserve, she said. Signs have been shot up and fences cut down.

"To hear people say, 'We've been riding out there for years,'" Daniels said. "Does that make it legal?

"In a way, it reminds me of the fence wars of the 1880s," she said, referring to the free-ranging cattlemen who began cutting down the fences of those who were trying to establish permanent ranches. People are trying to hold on to a way of life, Daniels said.

"It is a sad story," she said, "but the only property people are entitled to is their own."

[93tonkatoy]

"It is a sad story," she said, "but the only property people are entitled to is their own."

And the saddest part is, even if you own the land, and your neighbors don't like what you do on your land, they can give you grief there, too.

[kneedownnate]

I don't have the attention span to read the whole thing, but I did get to the part where the sheriff deputies shot at motorcycle riders, and there isn't a  smilie big enough for that one!  And they wonder why they were shot at?  I'd never shoot AT the deputies, but if they pulled that kinda bull crap I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to tap a little hole in their gas tank.  That's just absolutely ridiculous!!!

[KDXSR5]

And the saddest part is, even if you own the land, and your neighbors don't like what you do on your land, they can give you grief there, too.

Tell me about it. I have been having neighbor difficulties for a while now.