Des Moines, Iowa — A bill that would make it legal for all-terrain vehicles and off-road utility vehicles to travel on state and county highways appears to be on a fast track in the Iowa House.
The legislation cleared initial review Tuesday and is a priority for House State Government Committee chairman Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton. Kaufmann says ATVs are allowed on the roads in 22 states, plus two-thirds of Iowa counties have local ordinances allowing ATVs on local streets and roads.
Dan Kleen of the Iowa Off-Highway Vehicle Association says his group opposes the bill and believes county officials should decide which roads are safe for ATV traffic.
Kaufmann says bicyclists and farm tractors are allowed on state highways and face greater danger than an ATV when a semi pops over the hill behind them.
Scott Minzenmeyer owns Recreational Motorsports in Anamosa, a business that services ATVs.
Steve Tebbe of the Jackson County ATV Club of Eastern Iowa says ATVs are a growing form of recreation, but there’s one serious challenge.
Bellevue Mayor Roger Michels says Highway 52 is the main north-south thoroughfare in his city, which means ATVs have to drive out of their way to get into Bellevue.
Mark Maxwell, a representative of the Iowa Motorcycle Dealers Association, says the group is adamantly opposed to the bill.
Maxwell says county level decisions about where ATVs may safely operate makes sense.
The bill is scheduled for debate in a House State Government Committee next week and Kaufmann says he aims to have it debated in the full House by the first week of February.
