Laws regarding snowmobiles in Alberta

[mareshow]

Thats so retarded, I used to think that it was just cops doing their jobs, but now all i can see is bureaucracy. Its actually getting to be just plain dumb. Sure stop people to check for insurance and registration. But what harm is a guy gunna do in the ditch with his sled?

Same thing with Guns, All this regulation is getting expensive and politicians dont seem to understand that its not their responsibility to cater to the complainers. What ever happened to protecting the minority? Sure it works for visible minorities, but what about us, the INvisible minority?

 

[Billy Boy]

My two sons and myself were riding at Cataract creek between xmas and new years last year and we got stopped by a fish cop. The one son (the oldest and supposed to be the most brilliant) did not have his registration yet but did have his insurance, the rest of us were good. After about a 1/2 hour talk with the fish cop he got off with a warning; lucky!! because he was with his Dad and brother and we are fine outstanding citizens of the communityLOL. I told him if he were there with his buddies the fish cop would have thrown the book at him.

Billy Boy

 

[tranquillicer]

Anyone born after Jan 1 1989 needs a snowmobile safety certificate to operate on public land much the same as a boaters certificate....it's a federal thing not prov to prov. There's more to any of this than just reg and ins. Authorities can fine you and confiscate your sleds until you can provide this cert. if they so desire.

 

[Pistonbroke]

How does that ignore feature work?

Just do it Mike....mine is up to 2 members now.....guess which is the other retard I added?

 

[duck]

Anyone born after Jan 1 1989 needs a snowmobile safety certificate to operate on public land much the same as a boaters certificate....it's a federal thing not prov to prov. There's more to any of this than just reg and ins. Authorities can fine you and confiscate your sleds until you can provide this cert. if they so desire.

I wonder how much this certificate costs? Cause like everything else to do with government, there is a cost involved.....tax?????

 

[GYMBRAT]

Anyone born after Jan 1 1989 needs a snowmobile safety certificate to operate on public land much the same as a boaters certificate....it's a federal thing not prov to prov. There's more to any of this than just reg and ins. Authorities can fine you and confiscate your sleds until you can provide this cert. if they so desire.

Its alllllll just a cheap azz money grab and makes me wanna PUKE!!!! Graduated drivers Licenses, quad licenses, blah blah blahhhhh, when does it stop?

 

[RXN]

Our club used to run our annual Toy ride in the ditch, in Strathcona, had all the permits and everything in order. The one year I was marshalling I was in front of the pack. And when I got the the approach I was to Marshall the cops pulled in and started in on me. Was pretty funny when they saw their own RCMP and BiLaw sleds in the group.

Now we run Leduc county. They leave us alone.

 

[Justin_sane]

Not mentioned yet, but you must have a functioning headlight as well. Probably taillight as well but that im not sure

 

[meatbag]

Ya, WAY TOO MANY RULES! Every county has their own. I just use the ditches to get to another area. Thats it. I remember getting stopped wayyyy back in the 80's for riding my dirtbike down an alley in the winter. The cop slipped on the ice running towards me. Wrote me up 8 tickets! I still have them and now I don't stop for anyone. But I also go by the rule "stealth is key". If your quiet about stuff and don't pi$$ off neighbours and other people, you can pretty much do what you want with no hassles. 13 years of trouble free sledding now. Over regulated Canada!

 

[f150truck]

Check this link out for "Rules & Regulations Applying to small Vehicles in Alberta" including snowmobiles & atv's from Alberta Transportation

http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType41/Production/small_vehicle_booklet_final.pdf

And FYI the ditch is part of the Highway. See below text from above booklet.

1. 
   [*]Highway – "highway" means any thoroughfare, street, road, trail, avenue, parkway, driveway, viaduct, lane, alley, square, bridge, causeway, trestleway or other place or any part of any of them, whether publicly or privately owned, that the public is ordinarily entitled or permitted to use for the passage or parking of vehicles and includes:
   

i. A sidewalk, including a boulevard adjacent to the sidewalk
ii. If a ditch lies adjacent to and parallel with the roadway, the ditch, and
iii. If a highway right of way is contained between fences or between a fence and one side of the roadway, all the land between the fences, or all the land between the fence and the edge of the roadway as the case may be, but does not include a place declared by regulation not to be a highway.
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial](Traffic Safety Act, Section 1)
[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[0neoldfart]

I personally have not ridden a snowmobile in the province of Alberta since 2004, as the attitude seems to be "not in my backyard" - most municipalities have passed bylaws to prohibit sled use within town limits. Running from the law isn't a solution, it just adds fuel to the fires of the lobbyists that want no motorized recreation in this province... by giving sledders a bad name. There was a time when snowmobile rallies were commonplace, and it was not unusual to see sleds making tracks on your way home from work, or on weekends. I will continue to pay out of province membership & trail fees, but will NOT own an ASA trail pass that allows me to ride pretty much nowhere without a tremendous amount of hassles & bulls%it.

 

[Summiteer]

Pretty much against the law to ride in the ditches of numbered highways in Ab but not really enforced unless you are being an idiot here. Enforcement may change though, last year some dude hit a guardrail that had been folded back into the ditch for a couple of months and covered in snow. Wrecked sled and broken leg. Apparently suing RCMP, maintenance outfit and who knows who else.

 

[tranquillicer]

I wonder how much this certificate costs? Cause like everything else to do with government, there is a cost involved.....tax?????

It's not very expensive and is targeting education and safety so it's not all bad. Teach everyone the rules and if they decide to break them then I guess there likely never was much hope.

 

[medler]

I got stopped a couple years ago west of airdrie in the winter on my quad. But he was catching speeders and I actually caught him lol he just told me its illegal and told me to turn around and ride home. Nice guy but ya it's illegal.



Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[Bogger]

The explanation I was given by Lac Ste.Anne County is this...

Provincial law prohibits riding the ditches (fence line to fence line) of any 2 or 3 digit numbered highway. These highways are provincially regulated and the county can not over ride this regulation...

They can however speak with the local RCMP & Peace Officers and influence the enforcement of the regulation. The County of Lac.Ste.Anne has requested that recreational vehical operators (ATV's & Sleds) if properly registered and insured be permitted to ride on the far outside of the right of way. They will stop you and ask for Reg & Insurance but even that is rare, most times they will wave or give a thumbs up.

I do tend to ride closer to the driving lanes than I'm sure they would prefer (good drifts off the road) I will drop to the bottom of the ditch when traffic is passing but if I were to get a ticket for operating too close to traffic I would appologize, accept my fine and promise not to do it for the rest of the day... the medians are strictly off limits, hard to argue they are on the "far outside", if you get fined for this, you deserve it...

If we ride with respect and cooperate with the county and RCMP maybe we will not turn into Strathcona county....

We now I have a County Councilor voluntarily sitting on our trail committee.

Time to break new trail to Pembina then through to whitecourt

 

[teeroy]

its guys like that one who ruin it for everyone ... this ditch banging doesnt really sound like that much fun ??? 0.o

lol....we have huge, wide ditches along our highways willy. not the 6' wide trenches along the highways in BC that you are used to. you've never nailed an approach in 3 feet of snow at 60 mph? it's quite fun

 

[TylerG]

baaaaaa sounds like lake riding and hitting a pressure crack lol well u enjoy those ditches lol i might go climb a peak or play in some cut blocks for a few hours

good idea, we've all heard enough out of you.

 

[teeroy]

baaaaaa sounds like lake riding and hitting a pressure crack lol well u enjoy those ditches lol i might go climb a peak or play in some cut blocks for a few hours

I'm not much of a ditch rider anymore, but i'll use them to get where I gotta go. 5 minutes from my front door and i'm in the valley. 1000' elevation change from top to bottom, plenty of pseudo mountain fun

 

[X-it]

Complaining about too many laws...yet everyone here wants to pass another law ...a helmet law. Priceless... A couple of laws a year for 50 years... perfect. Do gooders doing good what harm can they cause.

 

[LB_]

Complaining about too many laws...yet everyone here wants to pass another law ...a helmet law. Priceless... A couple of laws a year for 50 years... perfect. Do gooders doing good what harm can they cause.

"Everyone"?...I don't want to see a helmet law passed.