By Ryan Whisner
Fort Atkinson Police Chief Adrian Bump, during a recent meeting of the Fort Atkinson City Council’s Ordinance Committee, expressed his opposition to the adoption of an ordinance permitting the use of ATVs on city streets.
During a meeting of the Ordinance Committee, held July 6, city staff was directed by committee members to draft an ordinance which would allow the use of ATV/UTVs on city-owned streets.
Once completed, the draft will next return to the committee, and additionally, the city council, for discussion and possible approval.
During the committee meeting, Bump expressed several concerns regarding the use of the all-terrain vehicles on public roadways.
Prefacing his concerns, Bump noted that, upon his arrival as the city’s police chief, he understood his responsibilities to include focusing on activities that “make this community safe, improve the quality of life and ensure security for our citizens and the people that come here.”
Addressing the Ordinance Committee, Bump said: “I don’t believe that an ordinance like this complements any of those things that our police department is trying to achieve every day.”
The chief said he was opposed to any ordinance authorizing ATV use on Fort Atkinson city streets.
“I worry about injury and death on our streets that if we pass this ordinance could happen and I don’t want that on my conscience,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of things that we need to think about if we go down this road.”
Bump said he believed ATVs were not intended for use on public roads.
“They weren’t built with equipment that is meant for roadway travel,” he said, specifically citing the regular low-pressure tires on such machines and the lack of such safety and general driving features such as speedometers, horns, headlights, turn signals or taillights.
The chief also noted that there are no laws in place that require the use of a helmet or the wearing of eye protection when operating an ATV.
Bump said that ATVs produce, in his estimation, more exhaust and can be louder than regular motor vehicles.
“We’re going to have increased complaints most likely, because it’s a different sound, even if it’s not loud,” he said.
Bump said that Fort Atkinson is not a northern Wisconsin community, further noting that he did not believe Fort Atkinson had a business demographic that complemented ATV and UTV use.
“We don’t have a trail system and tourism that’s based around it and our community does not have any businesses that complement ATVs and UTVs,” he said. “We don’t have an ATV dealer or parts business. We’re not going to be adding a benefit to local businesses that are going to see any increase and serve as a destination for ATV riders.”
Citing online research, the chief admitted that anyone could find stats or information in support of permitting ATV use on public roadways or in opposition to it.
“When I go out and do research, I’m finding a lot of things that aren’t positive,” Bump said. “The ATV Safety Institute doesn’t even support the option of driving them on the road. Their number two safety rule is never ride on paved roads, except to cross when done safely and permitted by law.”
Among his primary concerns, he said, are provisions within state law which allow 12-year-olds to meet the requirements for the operation of an ATV.
Citing the development of an ordinance in Fort Atkinson, he asked: “If there is an ordinance, what are the age restrictions going to be? Right now, a 12-year-old child can ride one.”
The chief noted that some fifth- and sixth-grade students are 12.
“Are we going to allow them to drive those to school” Or (are we) going to have to worry about ATVs arriving at elementary school because that’s their transportation to school? I hope not, but that is a plausible thing that could occur.”
Other concerns expressed by Bump included what he perceived as a lack of state enforcement regarding requirements for a driver’s license or insurance.
“They (ATV operators) don’t have to have insurance, yet, if you drive a vehicle in Wisconsin, you must have insurance on your vehicle,” he said, asking: “What is the impact that’ll have?” He offered concerns revolving around crashes between insured and uninsured drivers, including those with property damages and injuries.
Additionally, he said, an ordinance allowing ATV/UTV use on city-owned streets would have an impact on the daily administration of such services as law enforcement, fire, and EMS.
“There’s going to be things that they’re going to have to deal with if we have accidents or injuries,” he said. “It’s going to impact DPW (the Department of Public Works) because they’re going to have to deal with the signs and how we do it. There’s going to be an effect there in a lot of different areas.”
The chief also questioned how officers would enforce the different versions of traffic violations and the impact it might have on municipal court.
Specifically, drunken driving laws apply differently to ATV operators than they do to regular motor vehicle operators due to the lack of driver’s license requirements, he said.
“We already have an OWI issue in this community and this county,” Bump said. “It’s something our officers do daily.”
No state law impacts the issue of open intoxicants in or on an ATV or UTV, he added.
Acknowledging that many of his concerns could be addressed within an ordinance, the challenge is to still maintain conformity with state law, he said.
Bump also wondered about the percentage of city residents who own or operate an ATV or UTV.
“Is this ordinance just an opportunity to positively impact a majority of our community, or just the preference of a small percentage of our community?” he inquired.
“I just want to make sure that we, as decision-makers, do things that are best for our community, not just things that align with our personal preference. That’s where I’m hung up is we can’t do things because we prefer it, it needs to be what is best for our community and I hope we don’t lose sight of that,” he said.
Bump also expressed concerns about the potential cost of allowing ATV/UTV use on city streets, asking: “Where do we come up with the money to address this when we’re already dealing with not much surplus in what we’re doing every day?”
He noted that there would be signage to install and potential training for law enforcement officers and court personnel.
“How do we kind of put that all into perspective and why is this, with all that in mind, why is this what’s good for our community?” Bump asked. “I think you have a lot of things to overcome with an ordinance and you have a lot of things you have to think about and consider, so if you do implement this as a city council, you do it correctly and appropriately, without losing sight of all the different pitfalls that are before us,” he said.
A story about the draft ordinance as discussed during the early July Ordinance Committee meeting is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/ordinance-committee-to-draft-atv-utv-use-on-city-streets-proposal/.
Fort Atkinson Police Chief Adrian Bump
This post has already been read 6301 times!
I fully agree with Police Chief Bump.
I too totally agree with police chief Bump! Jefferson has passed the ok several weeks ago, and as you stated, Chief Bump, no turn signals is the one thing I noticed, but haven’t driven there too often! No insurance is a big, big one! Far as I know, they don’t even need license, which means they don’t help with upkeep of streets!
Maxine, all drivers need to be 16 years or older with a valid driver’s license and insurance. Some of the comments from the police chief are false, 12 year olds driving won’t be driving to elementary school.
Maxine, current Wisconsin gas tax is .309 or almost 31 cents. That tax revenue is used for roads and infrastructure. Anything that fills up at the gas station helps pay for the upkeep of streets. So yes, these vehicles do help pay for those things.
I totally disagree with the Chiefs comments. First off Jefferson passed there ordinance in Sept. of 2022 and the roads opened Oct 2022. According to the Jefferson PD. there have been very few issues with ATV’s and UTV’s on the Jefferson City streets. The Sheriffs Dept. has seen very few issues also. The information provided by the Chief is inaccurate info, refer to state statue 23.33 that became law March 4th of 2020. Any driver of an ATV or UTV on streets must have a valid drivers license and proof of insurance. Any driver 16-18 years old must wear a helmet. The 12 year old rule only applies to private property. I personally challenge the Chief on any of his comments including tires, exhaust etc. The largest issue with this is the education of the general public. Our club held an event April 1st at Rob’s we invited the whole village of Johnson Creek to educate them on these machines. The DNR was there in support of ATV and UTV riding based on the current laws. We have had zero issues in Johnson Creek as well. Again, refer to 23.33 for the full statue and laws.
First I would like to know why my original reply has been deleted. The Chiefs statements are inaccurate in his reasoning for being against this ordinance. Please refer to State statue 23.33 for the correct information.
Hi John, none of your comments have been deleted. I have just begun approving comments this morning, and I see you have sent two comments.
It appears my original reply was deleted.
I assure you, I have not deleted any of your comments. I reserve the right to do so, of course, but I believe I have approved both of the comments that you have submitted. K
Thank you
I completely disagree with the Chief. Basically all of Jefferson County both county highways, towns, and cities have been and are open to ATV/UTV travel. Those towns and cities will report little to no issues. These machines are very safe to operate within the city as proven day after day all across the state of Wisconsin. These machines are very convenient for running errands, traveling to work and back, going to the grocery store, etc. They have very good gas mileage. These machines are less impact on roads and infrastructure as they weigh less that cars and trucks. The ordinance will not allow for 12 year old’s to drive on the roads, that section of state statute 23.33 relates to trail use. I would be more concerned about a 16 year old driver in a truck or a car than on an ATV or UTV. How is it that these machines are operating safely all across our state but they can not be in the city of Fort Atkinson. Keep in mind, these are expensive machines. The average age demographic of ownership is between the age of 45 and 60.
I have to disagree Chief Bump. Most of the opposition points above are an opinion, Or parts of information with specifics left out either erroneously or or on purpose. example: 12 year olds driving. If an ordinance for this is going to have a daily impact on Police ,Fire and EMS, wouldn’t that mean they we would have issues daily? I would think that some statistics from areas that already have this open around the size of Fort Atkinson could be obtained and would be able to help get a grasp of what to expect from the impact side of things instead of an opinion. will there be issues? more than likely, as there is when anything, However I have seen in other communities that impact has been minimal to nothing. I also completely disagree with the comments about not creating revenue for businesses. with the clubs in the surrounding area alone, other communities are benefiting from meetings, gatherings and other events that are drawing lots of revenue to local businesses . Businesses in Fort Atkinson are missing this opportunity. If we were to have the ordinance may be we could draw dealers or parts stores or other businesses in to Fort Atkinson, which could possibly help the tax issue in this city, and quite possibly if both happened, i believe that Would help the limited surplus that he is concerned about. As for the Signage cost I have seen local clubs all across the state donate money to pay for the cost of the signs
See state statue 23.33. Insurance required, drivers license required and Jefferson opened Oct 2022 with no issues to date. Public education of the rules is severly lacking when blinded by the Chiefs opinion.
It is disappointing to see so much conjecture and even miss information in this article. It is understandable some in the general public might not be familiar with this mode of transportation but it is a bit concerning to have a high ranking city official take such an opposing position to basic freedom and liberty. What are we being protected from? I guess in the end we are being protected from law abiding tax paying freedom loving citizens who may want to travel the roads they pay for in the vehicle of their choice. You will be required to be 16 or older and hold a valid drivers license. You will have to have insurance. A 16 year old today can get behind the wheel of a truck or car that can go faster, weighs significantly more, and can cause much greater damage than ATV’s/UTV’s. Logic would tell you these vehicles are safer in that respect. In the end this is not really about a mode of transportation. It is about freedom and liberty in a country that was born from that idea.
I submitted a comment here previously that didn’t appear, so if this is a duplicate, I apoligize.
First, I want to thank Chief Bump for his service to local law enforcment, but I strongly disagree with his opinions regarding ATV/UTV use on city streets.
The biggest obstacle in this issue is fear of the unknown, and inaccurate or misleading information feeds into that fear. You can go to this website: http://www.jeffersoncountywi.gov and enter atv in the search line on the home page, and read the county ordinace. This is the template that virtually every municipality in the county is using and it will answer the majority of the chief’s concerns.
I am a member of the Jefferson Half Mile ATV Club. Our club has worked closely with local municipalities since 2004, first gaining access for ATV/UTV use on roads in the Towns of Aztalan and Jefferson in 2005. Since then, thanks to the hard work of a lot of people in our cub and several other local clubs and individuals, it is now legal to operate ATVs and UTVs on virtually every town road and county highway in Jefferson County, and on the streets of the cities and villages of Jefferson, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Johnson Creek, Sullivan, Palmyra, and Whitewater. Is it even logical to think that the leaders of all these communites are wrong? If significant problems were going to occur, they would have manifested themselves somewhere during the last 18 years, and they simply have not.
My last point is on demographics. The owners and operators of these machines are not the local pack of teen-somethings doing wheelies up and down main street. They are successfull people middle age and older (I’m 70) who have the financial ability to pay 20, 30, $40,000 ANDMORE for a machine simply for their recreational enjoyment. I don’t think any local Fort business wants to see those machines (and those wallets) loaded on trailers and heading somewhere else in the state or even somewhere else in Jefferson County.
Thank you
Tom Ames