OHIO COUNTY, Ky. (WEHT) – Off-Highway vehicles could soon be allowed on public roadways in Ohio County. David Johnson, the Ohio County Judge Executive, says officials are discussing proposed ordinance next week about it during a Fiscal Court meeting.
“Side by sides have been very popular for quite a while. And there are many complaints about them being on the roads now when they should not be. In my opinion, this will actually give us a little more control over it than we do now,” says Johnson.
This is not the first discussion about recreational vehicles in Ohio County. In 2020, an off-road vehicle group asked the fiscal court if they could legalize their vehicles on designated roads in Ohio County. It did not pass. If the proposed ordinance is passed, OHV’s would be required to have some of the same features as a car, including break lights and tail lamps.
“We have had many fatalities over the years form them, and the big thing we are hoping this would do is improve safety,” says Johnson.
It would prohibit the vehicles from being on the road one hour after sunset and an hour before sunrise. A driver we spoke with did not want to be identified, but says he agrees with what the ordinance says.
“If motorcycles are on, then why couldn’t ORV and ATVs that meet the requirements be allowed on,” he says.
Not all residents are on board. Terry Faulkenburgh lives in a rural part of Ohio County and says he has trouble with noise from off-road vehicles.
“It might be started off by people with good intentions. But it is going to carry on and they will start riding on night and interrupt people’s sleep,” he says.
“We will have some discussion on it and I am assuming we will have folks here that are proponents of it and those who do not want it,” Johnson says.
The ordinance will be under discussion during the Ohio County Fiscal Court meeting on Tuesday night. It starts at 5 pm in the auditorium of the Ohio County Community Center.
