I have been reading with interest on the anti-ohv subject here and on some other forums. I have been riding on and around my property here in south-western Riverside County since the late 60’s. I don’t do this anymore, to many people moving in has made this almost impossible. Nothing more sobering than a guy coming out with a loaded shotgun claiming that he’s had it with us trespassers tearing by his home at 70 mph. That wasn’t me and buddys but obviously enough idiots have irritated this guy and now he’s pissed. I take it out to Joshua or Randsburg or my bike stays in the garage. I don’t like it but, it is what it is.
I was also in attendance at the last Planning Commission meeting. Just sitting back and listening. I agree with some that the MX mommies were self serving at best, however I would have to say that their backyard riding isn’t why we are where we are. Although wanting your little guy to train in your backyard to be the next superstar is not realistic either.
You want to talk about self serving? The real trouble makers were seated on the right side of the board room. Those handful of high profile track owners in Aguanga have taken it upon themselves to represent the off road industry and decent respectful property owning riders. Those attorneys they’ve hired to speak have repeatedly pi**ed off the Commissioners with their “Constitutional Rights” BS. These attorneys know very little about land use or how the system works or the proponents side of the story. Like it or not, the Planning Commission’s job is to tell folks what they can and can’t do on their property. These track owners are not just riding with their wives and kids as they like to claim, these are 15 to 20 acre full blown motocross tracks that repeatedly thrash their neighbors with noise by allowing factory product testing and professional riders and all their “want-to-be professional” MX buddies to practice at their facilities.
I used to believe the complaining neighbors in Aguanga were just that, a bunch of whiners who hate bikes. All I can say is, try living next to one or two (or three) tracks that perform at the level of riding going on in these places and see if you think it’s a nice place to live. If these few idiots aren’t shut down by the County for lack of a conditional use permit (yes they all need one) and shunned by the rest of the industry real quick you can bet that it will haunt us forever and bike riding on your own property will only be something you can talk to your grandkids about.
And don’t underestimate the power behind the proponents of this ordinance. When a property owner can’t sell his land that will support a million dollar custom home because some jerk built a huge track next door, don’t think for a moment that the County doesn’t take into consideration the tax revenue losses that occur. None of these large track owners pay anything to the County for the pleasure of them making trouble for the surrounding neighborhood. And all of us who are making noises about this area being the Mecca for off-roading just hammers home to the commissioners that something needs to be done before it gets any worse. We are our own worst enemy.
The responsible organizations like the Blue Ribbon Coalition do not support allowing these kinds of tracks in peoples back yards and neither should we. Decent riding folks, who are the vast majority, need to start addressing the Commissioners and the rest of the Planners in the County that we do not support these large tracks, nor the people behind them. Mark Balys at mbalys@rctlma.org is the Planner who is writing the ord. I suggest everyone who wants to preserve family riding on their property contact him in regards to those few irresponsible idiots who have brought this down on our heads and are continuing to bury us.
I was also in attendance at the last Planning Commission meeting. Just sitting back and listening. I agree with some that the MX mommies were self serving at best, however I would have to say that their backyard riding isn’t why we are where we are. Although wanting your little guy to train in your backyard to be the next superstar is not realistic either.
You want to talk about self serving? The real trouble makers were seated on the right side of the board room. Those handful of high profile track owners in Aguanga have taken it upon themselves to represent the off road industry and decent respectful property owning riders. Those attorneys they’ve hired to speak have repeatedly pi**ed off the Commissioners with their “Constitutional Rights” BS. These attorneys know very little about land use or how the system works or the proponents side of the story. Like it or not, the Planning Commission’s job is to tell folks what they can and can’t do on their property. These track owners are not just riding with their wives and kids as they like to claim, these are 15 to 20 acre full blown motocross tracks that repeatedly thrash their neighbors with noise by allowing factory product testing and professional riders and all their “want-to-be professional” MX buddies to practice at their facilities.
I used to believe the complaining neighbors in Aguanga were just that, a bunch of whiners who hate bikes. All I can say is, try living next to one or two (or three) tracks that perform at the level of riding going on in these places and see if you think it’s a nice place to live. If these few idiots aren’t shut down by the County for lack of a conditional use permit (yes they all need one) and shunned by the rest of the industry real quick you can bet that it will haunt us forever and bike riding on your own property will only be something you can talk to your grandkids about.
And don’t underestimate the power behind the proponents of this ordinance. When a property owner can’t sell his land that will support a million dollar custom home because some jerk built a huge track next door, don’t think for a moment that the County doesn’t take into consideration the tax revenue losses that occur. None of these large track owners pay anything to the County for the pleasure of them making trouble for the surrounding neighborhood. And all of us who are making noises about this area being the Mecca for off-roading just hammers home to the commissioners that something needs to be done before it gets any worse. We are our own worst enemy.
The responsible organizations like the Blue Ribbon Coalition do not support allowing these kinds of tracks in peoples back yards and neither should we. Decent riding folks, who are the vast majority, need to start addressing the Commissioners and the rest of the Planners in the County that we do not support these large tracks, nor the people behind them. Mark Balys at mbalys@rctlma.org is the Planner who is writing the ord. I suggest everyone who wants to preserve family riding on their property contact him in regards to those few irresponsible idiots who have brought this down on our heads and are continuing to bury us.
