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Show H Pledge Crackdown I On Offroad oj Use Of Foothills By GARY R. BLODGETT i I) FARMINGTON -- Among the added ! attractions of springtime is the upswing of t(1 off-street vehicles using the Wasatch Front 9. foothills as a plavground. BUT THEIR "happytime" is going to be ' rv short-lived if Davis County Sheriffs De- I AJ Par,men' has its way. Yj Law enforcement officers - including U v local police as well as Davis County sheriff I! deputies have pledged to crackdown on this fJ 'ype of unauthorized entertainment in an D J attempt to cut down on abusive noise, i underage and unlicensed vehicle operators, ; "" Potential of creating erosion and ' slippage of the foothills, according to a 1 Davis County Sheriff Department spokesman. CAPT. K.D. Simpson said off-road vehi-ties vehi-ties such as trail bikes, motorcycles, and ; J four-wheel drive vehicles are a continuous ' problem to residents living near the footh- ills. ro0 "These, and all other vehicles, are ban-fcxp ban-fcxp - ncdon federal lands and on private property 3' that is posted," saidCapt. Simpson. "Sher iff deputies (most of the land is outside city limits) will be regularly patroling foothill r areas and assisting cities in areas w here the land is within city limits." CAPT. SIMPSON said much of the problem prob-lem comes from riders who pass through private property to get to public land. He cited the area east of the rock wall in Farm-ington Farm-ington where the road passes through private pri-vate property above Fruit Heights and people peo-ple are not closing gates behind them causing caus-ing problems of cattle and other animals getting loose. He said several persons have been cited already this spring and the season is just beginning. "We'll add personnel to the hillside hill-side patrol as needed, especially on weekends," Capt. Simpson noted. HE URGED private property owners to post their property against trespassing. "We cannot cite anyone unless the (private) (pri-vate) property is posted," he said. Citations will also be issued to motorists who do not have spark arresters or to riders who have cycles without mufflers and are violating the noise-level standard. ANOTHER precaution: youngsters under 14 may drive an off-street cycle, but must be accompanied (on the bike) by a person 2 1 or older who is licensed. Youths over 14. but who do not have a license, must be accompanied by a licensed adult 1 6 or older. |