Title

The Complicated Nature of Allowing Shared-Use of Roadways with ATVs, OHVs, ROVs

Abstract

Non-traditional (e.g., all-terrain, off-highway, or recreational off-highway) vehicles often serve as the only travel option, are becoming increasingly utilitarian, and fulfill basic mobility needs in rural communities. However, these modes present significant planning and safety challenges as they interact with non-motorized and more traditional motorized forms of transportation. There are many studies that show a large majority of all ATV/OHV/ROV fatalities occur on public roads. Most, if not all, of these vehicles come with warning labels advising of the dangers of operating on paved roads and recommend off-road use only. The issue of ATVs/OHVs/ROVs and the related safety issues has extended beyond rural areas and is now presenting safety issues in urban networks as well. This hour is intended to present the state of knowledge, research being conducted in Alaska, and some of the current challenges of these "mixed-use" environments.

Presentation

Dr. Belz Presentation - TBD

Speaker Bio

Nathan grew up in a small town in rural Maine in a house built in the late 1700s on a 20 acre plot of land still inhabited by his parents. He is a first-generation college student. After receiving his PhD from the University of Vermont in 2013, Nathan moved to Alaska to pursue a career in academia at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Nathan's research vision is born out of countless hours and miles spent commuting and recreating on a bicycle and time spent in rural towns and villages where cars as a mode of transport are the exception, not the rule. He prefers traditional means of "making" and "doing" and spends much of his free time in the nooks and crannies of wilderness spaces where the footprint of mankind is almost non-existent. Nathan lives in the foothills outside of Fairbanks, only 130 miles from the Arctic Circle, and manages a small farm with his wife. He has a fleet of 10 bicycles which includes two "fatbikes", a tandem, and a pennyfarthing.

Speaker Headshot