Silver lakes

[DDS4X4]

I was reviewing the Minutes of the last ORV meeting and noted some IMPORTANT info to remind some of you about.

"Beginning this year, Michigan towing laws will be more actively enforced. Tow ropes and snap-straps will no longer be allowed as in the past."

I believe they are refering to towing vehicles to and from the Dunes on the County/State roads. I have observed some people towing highly modified rigs from motel/parking lots to the Dunes with tow straps in the past.

BE WARNED!

I am not from Michigan and I drive my licensed WJ, so I have not researched all the details, just thought I would pass along an observation.

[lgottler]

They probably didn't like it when I towed Keiths Jimmy from there to our campground 30 miles north....

[joe_jeep]

ive seen them tow dune buggies, bikes, quads, you name it! im surprised its taken this long!

[WhiteRhino]

This is not all that new. It has been bantered quite a bit on a couple of the other forums. Basically the guy who owns Sandy Korners jeep rentals has been bitching to the local sherriff. So, they are going to enforce the towing laws requiring tow bars, safety chains, lights, etc.

They will no longer look the other way when people are towing with straps. It's been a heated discussion because it will cause additional problems for people needing parking lot access to get their quads & other non street legal rigs in from the campgrounds.

Yes, it is just enforcing a state towing law but c'mon, it's a recreation community. I have not seen where anyone can cite that there has actually been any problems. Seems a bit childish to me.

[DDS4X4]

Thanks Jim K, I just wanted our folks to be WARNED.

[lgottler]

Its like around us and boat trailers. Were on the stinkin water and we have boats, why put ordinances up banning people from having trailers or boats parked in their driveways!!

Well, not really like that. They should just make all the roads there ORV routes and let us do what we want!!

[Trail_Fanatic]

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s286/Trail_Fanatic_2007/MichiganTowingLaws-1.jpg



Pete gave these out a couple of meetings ago to try to help get the word out that the local LEOs plan to increase enforcment this year.

[Brian81CJ]

So if we break down on the dunes we have to call a tow truck to get our vehicles back to the campground???? Frickin' stupid!!
...If that's the case, I'm buying a couple tow trucks and I'll see you at the entrance!! :lmao: Now it doesn't sound so stupid... LOL

[WhiteRhino]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ultimate Air &#064; Apr 19 2007, 09&#58;26 AM) 24296</div>

So if we break down on the dunes we have to call a tow truck to get our vehicles back to the campground???? Frickin&#39; stupid&#33;&#33;
...If that&#39;s the case, I&#39;m buying a couple tow trucks and I&#39;ll see you at the entrance&#33;&#33; :lmao: Now it doesn&#39;t sound so stupid... LOL
[/b]

I wonder if they&#39;re really going to get that picky.

[Trail_Fanatic]

They want you to use a tow bar.

[94_xj_country]

this is sad, seeing as my heep will probably break at silver lake and need to be towed back :hysterical:

[kb8ymf]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(WhiteRhino &#064; Apr 19 2007, 10&#58;19 AM) 24297</div>

I wonder if they&#39;re really going to get that picky.
[/b]
My bet says &#39;yes they will get that picky&#39;.
I wonder if Pete gave us some insight as to why this is happening? Pat or Paul?????? or anyone else who was at the last DNR meeting
j-kb8ymf

[WhiteRhino]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kb8ymf &#064; Apr 21 2007, 07&#58;42 PM) 24327</div>

I wonder if Pete gave us some insight as to why this is happening? j-kb8ymf
[/b]

See post #4

[kb8ymf]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(WhiteRhino &#064; Apr 22 2007, 07&#58;36 AM) 24339</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kb8ymf &#064; Apr 21 2007, 07&#58;42 PM) 24327

I wonder if Pete gave us some insight as to why this is happening? j-kb8ymf
[/b]

See post #4
[/b][/quote]
I highly doubt one business can influence the policy of an entire county. Was Sandy Corners in favor of enforecement or against? If it&#39;s really that simple, I can think of many other policies in governmemnt that we&#39;d like to change. Just tell me what business we have to approach.
jim-kb8ymf

[WhiteRhino]

The story on gl4x4 and also the local silver lake web sites both cited him as the guy who started bitching to the police. If there are DOZENS of people breaking the law, I would think that one business owner could make quite a fuss.

[Bult4mud]

He was at quarterley today and didnt mention any thing abou it...
dunno

[Jarhead]

I saw a number of vehicles being towed strapped this past weekend; those vehicles included a couple of ATV&#39;s being towed by a pickup truck.

All in all, whether it is the law or it is simply the SAFE thing to do, also make it the right thing to do. Towing a Full-Size Vehicle via a tow strap is one thing, watching those ATV&#39;s swerve right and left as they were being towed made me look at it another way. (Reminded me of some of the stupid stuff I did as a kid, which makes it even more surprising I lived through some of it…)

[brewmenn]

I&#39;ve often wondered about this. I&#39;ve seen all types of vehicles being towed in and out of there using straps, chains and ropes.

It&#39;s one thing to use a strap to move a broken down vehicle, but these people are doing it ot try and get around the issue of driving non-street legal vehicles on the street. They&#39;re trying to claim "oh no, we&#39;re not driving it, we&#39;re towing it."

[Trail_Fanatic]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brewmenn &#064; Apr 24 2007, 01&#58;19 AM) 24388</div>

It&#39;s one thing to use a strap to move a broken down vehicle, but these people are doing it ot try and get around the issue of driving non-street legal vehicles on the street. They&#39;re trying to claim "oh no, we&#39;re not driving it, we&#39;re towing it."
[/b]


EXACTLY&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

[WhiteRhino]

While I agree that the towing issue is not politically correct and that folks are trying to buck the system, you are all missing something. The voucher system is set up to allow something like 500 dune ready vehicles into the park EVERY TWO HOURS.
That means 500 vehicles for every time slot. There are 4 time slots x 500 = 2000 drive in dune ready vehicles per day. None of us have ever seen that many vehicles in the dunes&#33; Maybe on holidays only.

With the parking lot being so small, people are looking for an alternative way to access the dunes.

They are not over crowding the dunes as the voucher center never runs out of dune ready vouchers. Sometimes the 9-11 timeslot fills but nothing other than that.


So.................................. if the park system had adequate parking for the number of vehicles allowed, the problem would go away.

You can&#39;t blame a guy that has to work second shift on Friday, drives to the dunes thru the night & then can&#39;t get his buggy or quad into the dunes because all of the parking lot slots are filled. And then he goes to the voucher center and sees all the available drive in vouchers still available.

Would I be looking for a loophole????? YOU BET&#33;

This system has worked for years. Now it is a problem? hmmm........

[kb8ymf]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(WhiteRhino &#064; Apr 24 2007, 08&#58;28 AM) 24390</div>

With the parking lot being so small, people are looking for an alternative way to access the dunes.

They are not over crowding the dunes as the voucher center never runs out of dune ready vouchers. Sometimes the 9-11 timeslot fills but nothing other than that.


So.................................. if the park system had adequate parking for the number of vehicles allowed, the problem would go away.


This system has worked for years. Now it is a problem? hmmm........
[/b]
I&#39;ve had many converstation with Pete on this.
Here&#39;s what he&#39;s said:
1. The current parking lot can not be expanded due to lack of ownership and wetland restrictions.
2. The state does not own &#39;connected&#39; parcels which could be turned into a parking lot with a &#39;non-street&#39; legal corridor to access the dunes with.
3. As Jim K pointed out. I&#39;ve never had to wait to get into the park driving a street legal vehicle. It has never reached capacity, the parking lot fufills that purpose. This provides them with the reason to not invent another system similar to the voucher to limit the number of entries into the park. One less thing to manage means lower cost to operate which is Pete&#39;s main objective.

Pardon me for being a bit cynical, but what&#39;s the problem? Can&#39;t all of GLFWDA members access the lot? We ARE a street licensed vehicle organization, or at least we should be.There&#39;s many non-street legal vehicle groups that are trying to access the lot, seem to me their organization should be working on a solution. What good can come of us sticking our noses into this long standing problem that the state is unable or unwilling to resolve?
We already managed to get a bit of a black eye with the noise level stuff but that has since died out.
Jim K&#39;s idea is the best I&#39;ve heard. Who&#39;s got some property and a few trailers that want to make a few buck&#39;s opening a transportation business up.
Remember, From adversity comes opportunities&#33;
j-kb8ymf

[WhiteRhino]

While I feel bad for the non street legal crowd, I have to agree with Jim M. I have had this same argument with other issues. We have our own problems to solve and not spend time worrying about other things.

[Bult4mud]

Ok i think i may have suffered a bump on my head but i agree with my two "ELDER" JIms.

I ride quads and dirtbikes too and love to use the dunes as much as the next guy, IT seems to me that the state Has a HUGE parking lot where the voucher center is, they should make it ok to ride quads/bikes on the side of the road only from the park to that parking lot.

[motrctyman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bult4mud &#064; Apr 25 2007, 07&#58;18 AM) 24432</div>
IT seems to me that the state Has a HUGE parking lot where the voucher center is, they should make it ok to ride quads/bikes on the side of the road only from the park to that parking lot.
[/b]

ditto

There are ATV friendly towns like Rose City. Why isn&#39;t Mears?