Residents are asking the City of Cañon City once again to allow side-by-side utility terrain vehicles on city roads.
The topic was addressed with the city council more than a year ago, but the pandemic took the council’s attention in other directions.
During Monday’s meeting, six individuals asked the council to consider revisiting the request.
“A lot of us that do ride them, we use them to go back and forth to work; it saves on gas,” Bridger Langston said. “A lot of them are safe, they have headlights, turn signals, brake lights, four-point harnesses. A lot of them are safer than most cars, in my opinion.”
Most of the individuals who spoke to the council said they already ride their UTVs in short distances around town, but they want to be able to do it legally.
Langston said some nearby communities allow UTVs on their roadways, but they require them to be registered and insured, something the city should consider.
“A lot of us invest money and time in these things for our family because we live in this banana belt, and we want to spend as much time utilizing the outdoors as we can,” Ryan Hand said. “You make a big financial investment in something, and unfortunately, it’s a really expensive lawn ornament five to six days out of the week. It would be nice to utilize them safely within town, within guidelines.”
Many of the residents said legalizing UTVs on city streets also would be good for tourism.
“It would be nice not to have to trailer them everywhere we go,” Nate Mendoza said. “I think it would be awesome to be able to cruise it from one end of town to the other to get to the trails.”
Mark Ehrreich said scooters and even lawn tractors pulling trailers can be spotted driving through town.
“I don’t think he has full coverage insurance, I do,” he said. “We pay a lot of money to have that stuff, to do the right thing. … We are here to try to do it the proper way.”
Council members Mandy Reed and Brandon Smith will meet with the interested residents, the police chief, pertinent city staff and the city’s attorneys to discuss the proposal. If they find it is worth pursuing further, they will put it on an agenda for a future Vision Committee meeting.
Also during the meeting, the council approved first reading of a resolution approving Picture Cañon City 2040 as the city’s comprehensive plan.
Some of the goals outlined in the plan include establishing land use and development patterns that ensure land use compatibility and alignment with infrastructure capacity; providing distinct residential areas and neighborhoods that offer a diverse mix of housing types and price points to meet the needs of Cañon City’s current and future residents; establishing commercial areas that promote employment growth and support a diverse and stable economic base; and promoting Cañon City’s downtown by encouraging local business development, entrepreneurship and tourism.
Other goals include supporting a safe, convenient and efficient multimodal transportation network; continuing to provide high-quality community facilities and services to improve the quality of life through the provision and coordination of service delivery, infrastructure planning and regional partnerships; strengthening Cañon City’s distinct local character by promoting its local cultural resources and preserving its historic structures; and ensuring that Cañon City’s natural areas, open spaces, parks and trails provide outdoor recreational opportunities and meet the needs of the community
“I am really impressed with the plan,” said Mayor Pro Tem John Hamrick. “I think it is a stellar document that we can use and go forward with and be proud of here in Cañon City.”
Mayor Ashley Smith said the plan is palatable and it resonates with what Cañon City uniquely is and where it wants to go.
“This isn’t going on the shelf,” she said. “This is something that is actually going to be used and put into action.”
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