Long Beach to continue ban on side-by-side ATVs

Published 3:34 pm Monday, May 13, 2024

LONG BEACH — Facing unanimous opposition from those in attendance, councilors in Long Beach last week showed little interest in opening up the city’s streets to side-by-side vehicles anytime soon.

City councilors, the mayor and other Long Beach officials broached the topic at a May 6 workshop ahead of the scheduled council meeting that evening. By the end of the hour-long workshop, the council was united in its desire to continue the city’s current policy.

A law approved by the Washington State Legislature in 2013 gave cities the authority to allow wheeled all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, to operate on its public roadways. In 2014, the council passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of ATVs and off-road vehicles — including side-by-sides — within Long Beach city limits.

The ordinance does not apply to those vehicles when being operated for emergency management, law enforcement, city property or Discovery Trail maintenance purposes. The ban also does not apply to vehicles that are being operated as farming, construction or logging equipment.

Back on the radar

David Glasson, the city’s administrator, said staff has been asked by both residents and visitors if Long Beach would be willing to reconsider its ban on the vehicles, a policy that has been in place for a decade.

“I don’t have a strong opinion about this, one way or the other,” said Long Beach Mayor Sue Svendsen during the May 6 workshop. “We brought it forward to the council and the council was interested in looking at it further. So that’s why we’re here, to look at it further.”

Compared to a standard ATV, side-by-side vehicles are sturdier, have a bigger engine and can provide seating — with seatbelts — for up to six passengers. Side-by-sides are operated by a steering wheel and foot pedals, and are shielded by a roll bar or cage with the ability to add front and rear windshields as well as other customizations.

There was concern among councilors that Long Beach could be on an island of its own when it comes to enforcement and allowing side-by-sides; neither Ilwaco nor Pacific County allow the vehicles to be operated on public roads on the peninsula.

Glasson said both Ilwaco and the county have expressed openness in allowing it in discussions he’s had, but were waiting to see what action, if any, Long Beach took.

“That’s why we’ve worked together with Ilwaco and the county, to say ‘Is there any interest from you guys?” said Glasson. “Because if there isn’t any interest from them, then it really doesn’t make any sense for us to adopt it.”

In researching the issue, Glasson said city staff also looked at how side-by-sides have fared in other tourist communities in Washington where they are allowed, including Ocean Shores and Westport.

“[Ocean Shores] doesn’t have an issue. There’s not people driving on their beaches, they’re not tearing up the town. They have no issue,” said Glasson. “Same thing with Westport. They abut a state park, they abut the beachland — no issue. So I don’t know that it’s really going to be an issue. I doubt that it’s going to be an issue, just based on the other two places that have already allowed it for many years.”

Police chief weighs in

For his part, Long Beach Police Chief Flint Wright said he was initially opposed to allowing side-by-sides within city limits, but that his position changed after returning from a trip to South Dakota.

“When I saw the side-by-sides being used there, and how they kept congestion down, how they were easier to turn, how they took up less parking, I kind of thought ‘Whoa, that’s kind of a cool thing,’” said Wright.

Pull Quote

‘Other than the issue with the dunes, I don’t know why anybody would object to them being on the streets.’

Flint Wright, Long Beach Police chief

Wright added that he has also had people, mostly from outside the area, ask him whether side-by-sides are legal to drive in Long Beach. After explaining that they’re not, he said they’ve asked him if he could bring it up to the council.

“Other than the issue with the dunes, I don’t know why anybody would object to them being on the streets,” Wright said. “The people that have these, generally if you look at them, they’re nice rigs. I don’t see an issue, I just don’t. There has not been an issue in Ocean Shores, there has not been an issue in Westport.

“These things are being used right now all around our community. Sometimes we stop them when we can, but if you haven’t noticed them here in the summer you’re not looking, because they’re being used a lot … They use less gas, they’re easier to park, they use less space. I think they’re an efficient thing, but that’s just my opinion.”

By holding the workshop and discussing the issue, Wright said the city can at least go back to the people who’ve inquired about wanting to see them legalized in Long Beach and say the council did revisit its policy and give their suggestions fresh consideration.

Opposition from public

A healthy portion of the council’s workshop was spent accepting testimony from the public and, as some speakers themselves pointed out, every single person who spoke came out against allowing side-by-sides on Long Beach’s streets. The reasons for opposing a change in policy varied, with both Long Beach residents and others living on the peninsula weighing in.

One Long Beach man said he would be fine with the vehicles being permitted to drive within city limits, but had doubts about whether the city could successfully keep people from driving their side-by-sides onto the beach and dune trails.

Others also touched on environmental concerns, including Diane Fuller, who lives between Long Beach and Ocean Park. Fuller also said she was aware that she was not a Long Beach resident, but believes any changes made by Long Beach will have an impact on the peninsula as a whole.

“We are a major bird migratory habitat, and whether or not you think you can keep people off of the beach we have enough trouble when huge flocks of birds are feeding and resting before or during migration season with trucks going along and spooking them up,” said Fuller. “[Side-by-sides] are very agile and very able to weave in and out of much tighter areas than our big trucks are, and can do much more damage both to our nesting snowy plovers and to our migrating birds.”

Another man, who lives in Seaview, moved from Idaho and said side-by-sides were “all over” there and that “they’re not quiet,” due in part to the modifications people make to them. Several commenters who were opposed to allowing the vehicles cited noise as being a major concern.

“If it’s driving up and down the streets of Long Beach, why do you want that? The noise level of those things on the city streets, they’re not designed to do that — whether they’re street legal or not,” the man said. “That’s a huge consideration as far as I’m concerned.”

Another Seaview resident felt like their community would be in “no man’s land” if Long Beach were to allow side-by-sides. “We’re going to be between Ilwaco and Long Beach, and the roads from Long Beach go straight into Seaview and I just think it’s going to be too hard to enforce your rules within the city of Long Beach. You can’t operate in a vacuum.”