RideBlue
10-17-2002, 12:36 PM
Legal riding in NJ-That's what we would all prefer, isn't it? Well, here are some thoughts on the topic.
For everyone to completely understand what I'm about to discuss will require us to step out of our riding boots and into some others' shoes for a minute.
Let's first look at the government's position on this. Whether you believe it or not, people in office have no desire to provide us with legal riding. Here's why-Elected officials have nothing to gain politically by doing this. They have no desire to please a small minority of the population and we are a small minority. To a non-rider, we are viewed as an irresponsible, disorganized, disrespectful nuisance. Unfortunately, these non-riders comprise the majority of the voting public and Mr. Politician is not going to alienate these people and side with us "outlaws." Add to this the political and financial clout the envirogroups have and we are wasting our time trying to get the state to open up some land. Besides this-Who really wants a government-run riding facility? Registration fees will go up substantially and it will be overregulated as to eliminate anything resembling fun. They may throw us a bone and eventually give us a couple hundred acres to shut us up. Can anyone say NJORVP?
Now, let's look at the private landowner's standpoint. We'll use a popular, but illegal, riding area called Sarco as an example. This could apply to just about any riding area in the state. Mr. Sarco is either a small businessman or a large corporation-it doesn't matter which. A major factor in business is Risk vs. Reward. Currently, with people riding on Mr. Sarco's land, his risk is enormous and reward is nonexistent. That's just bad business and the reason he has the cops throwing everyone out. Even though they are trespassing, they can still list him in a lawsuit in the event of an injury. Even if the injured has no case, it still requires a lawyer which equals $$$ again for absolutely no return. Not to mention the fact of the neighbors calling him to complain about these "damn dirt bikers" making noise and dust and how come he isn't doing something about it. To him, we are a nuisance.
How do we rectify this problem? Easy, but also not easy. Rather than waste time petitioning the government to open up land, why not show Mr. Sarco how he could take this land that is generating no income with huge risk and turn it into something that creates income with minimal risk? Using Tower City or Windrock in Tenn. as examples, if anyone knows the history, this is a place where Off-road enthusiasts have done just that. At TC, all riding had been ceased at the property until two guys went to the landowner with a plan. He was able to take land that was unusable that he pays taxes on and now lines his pockets nicely and assumes minimal risk. It's been so good for him that more of his land will soon become available and he has some big plans for the place. It's a win-win. Now since the owner of TC/WR and the owner of Sarco don't know each other, it is unlikely that Mr. Sarco even knows that something like this could be done. Go to him with a plan whereas he gets a percentage of the membership fees and the new"club" pays the insurance out of the membership fees and I guarantee you he'd be willing to listen.
Sorry to be so long, but I wanted to throw an idea out there that may benefit everyone.
For everyone to completely understand what I'm about to discuss will require us to step out of our riding boots and into some others' shoes for a minute.
Let's first look at the government's position on this. Whether you believe it or not, people in office have no desire to provide us with legal riding. Here's why-Elected officials have nothing to gain politically by doing this. They have no desire to please a small minority of the population and we are a small minority. To a non-rider, we are viewed as an irresponsible, disorganized, disrespectful nuisance. Unfortunately, these non-riders comprise the majority of the voting public and Mr. Politician is not going to alienate these people and side with us "outlaws." Add to this the political and financial clout the envirogroups have and we are wasting our time trying to get the state to open up some land. Besides this-Who really wants a government-run riding facility? Registration fees will go up substantially and it will be overregulated as to eliminate anything resembling fun. They may throw us a bone and eventually give us a couple hundred acres to shut us up. Can anyone say NJORVP?
Now, let's look at the private landowner's standpoint. We'll use a popular, but illegal, riding area called Sarco as an example. This could apply to just about any riding area in the state. Mr. Sarco is either a small businessman or a large corporation-it doesn't matter which. A major factor in business is Risk vs. Reward. Currently, with people riding on Mr. Sarco's land, his risk is enormous and reward is nonexistent. That's just bad business and the reason he has the cops throwing everyone out. Even though they are trespassing, they can still list him in a lawsuit in the event of an injury. Even if the injured has no case, it still requires a lawyer which equals $$$ again for absolutely no return. Not to mention the fact of the neighbors calling him to complain about these "damn dirt bikers" making noise and dust and how come he isn't doing something about it. To him, we are a nuisance.
How do we rectify this problem? Easy, but also not easy. Rather than waste time petitioning the government to open up land, why not show Mr. Sarco how he could take this land that is generating no income with huge risk and turn it into something that creates income with minimal risk? Using Tower City or Windrock in Tenn. as examples, if anyone knows the history, this is a place where Off-road enthusiasts have done just that. At TC, all riding had been ceased at the property until two guys went to the landowner with a plan. He was able to take land that was unusable that he pays taxes on and now lines his pockets nicely and assumes minimal risk. It's been so good for him that more of his land will soon become available and he has some big plans for the place. It's a win-win. Now since the owner of TC/WR and the owner of Sarco don't know each other, it is unlikely that Mr. Sarco even knows that something like this could be done. Go to him with a plan whereas he gets a percentage of the membership fees and the new"club" pays the insurance out of the membership fees and I guarantee you he'd be willing to listen.
Sorry to be so long, but I wanted to throw an idea out there that may benefit everyone.