After new regulations in the Town of St. Marys’ recently amended traffic and parking bylaw are implemented on Aug. 1, off-road vehicles can be driven on municipal roads between 7 am and 10 pm in accordance with rules set out in the province’s Highway Traffic Act.
Beginning on Aug. 1, the Town of St. Marys will permit off-road vehicles to be driven on town streets between 7 am and 10 pm in accordance with recent amendments to the town’s traffic and parking bylaw.
Approved by St. Marys council on May 9 following consultation with the Stratford Police Service, the amended bylaw stipulates that those who choose to drive off-road vehicles on municipal roads will be subject to the regulations in Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, which, in addition to numerous safety, insurance and licensing requirements, requires that off-road vehicles be driven at speeds of 20 kilometers per hour or less if the posted speed limit is 50 km/h or less, and no more than 50 km/h if the posted speed limit is greater than 50 km/h.
“Basically, we’re trying to keep up with our neighbors in terms of making the laws similar,” St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee said. “We wanted it to be similar to our snowmobile bylaws, where people can travel through town. We’re seeing people are using these types of vehicles to go from point A to point B, or to go to work, so as long as they’re licensed and compliant with (Transportation Ministry) standards, that should be allowed.”
In the neighboring Township of Perth South, off-road vehicles with three or more wheels and low-pressure bearing tires have been allowed to operate on any highway under the jurisdiction of the municipality since 2010. As a result of the Town of St. Marys traffic and parking bylaw having been inconsistent with the town’s immediate neighbour, Strathdee said he had fielded related calls from both local off-road vehicle drivers and Stratford police asking the town to amend its bylaw.
Similarly, the nearby City of Stratford also passed a bylaw in October 2020 allowing off-road vehicles to be operated on highways, recreation trails and municipal property under the city’s jurisdiction between 7 am and 10 pm
In addition to allowing off-road vehicles to be driven on town streets, St. Marys’ amended traffic and parking bylaw also includes increased parking fines – from $20 to $50 for early voluntary payment and an increase from $30 to $70 for set fines – and the establishment of two new community safety zones on James Street North, near the Grand Trunk Trail crossing, and on Water Street South, near the St. Marys Quarry.
“As the (swimming) quarry has gotten busier, we felt we needed to do something down there,” Strathdee said, ” and the one on James Street North will eventually probably replace the crossing guard as … it’s getting more and more difficult to find employees for that position.”
Speeds in both those areas will be reduced to 40 km/h, fines for traffic violations will be increased and two new pedestrian crossovers will also be installed.
For more information and to read the full bylaw, visit www.townofstmarys.com/en/living-here/Parking.aspx.
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