Request comes from North Central ATV Club
By Marcy Stamper
Speed limits on four roads near Twisp and Winthrop could be lowered if the Okanogan County commissioners approve two requests from a local all-terrain vehicle (ATV) rider group.
The North Central ATV Club has asked the Okanogan County commissioners to reduce the speed limit to 35 miles per hour (mph) on portions of East Chewuch Road, Bear Creek Road, Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road and Upper Beaver Creek Road.
In their petitions, the ATV club said the lower speed limits would be “for safety concerns for all and ATV use.”
An accompanying letter says the changes would provide connections with routes the U.S. Forest Service has opened to ATVs. The routes will open Friday (June 26) on a trial basis.
“By reducing the speed limit on portions of the following Okanogan County roads to 35 MPH, they could be then be opened to WATVs [wheeled ATVs, a class of ATVs with special licenses], providing connections between the town of Winthrop and Beaver Creek campground, and the town of Twisp and Beaver Creek Campground. This would allow WATV riders to connect to the towns of Winthrop, Twisp, Conconully, and Okanogan through National Forest and DNR [Department of Natural Resources] land,” wrote Spencer King, the club president.
The changes would affect 1.6 miles on Bear Creek Road near Winthrop, from the intersection of East Chewuch Road and Studhorse Road to where Bear Creek Road switches from pavement to gravel.
They also propose reducing the speed on 1.9 miles on Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road from the Twisp town limits to Balky Hill Road, plus another 0.6 miles on Upper Beaver Creek Road, heading north from the intersection with Balky Hill to the end of the pavement.
Lowering the speed limit to 35 mph would not automatically open the roads to ATVs, since that requires a separate action by the commissioners, but it would make the roads eligible. State law restricts wheeled ATVs to roads 35 mph or slower.
Current laws in Twisp and Winthrop would also have to be changed to allow ATVs to ride on town streets.
The lower speed limits would make the roads safer for all users, because cyclists, walkers and RVs use these sections often said Ed Surette, a board member of the ATV club. The roads have twists and turns and are already signed with suggested lower speeds, he said.
The county has already received some input on the proposals. Winthrop-area resident Phil Millam wrote that lowering the speed limit would inconvenience all road users by slowing their trips to work and for errands.
He questioned whether there are existing safety issues on the roads, saying those concerns would already have been raised with the county engineer.
Millam also cited recommendations and studies from industry and safety groups in his opposition to lowering the speed limits. He quoted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission as saying, “Do not drive ATVs on paved roads.”
He also pointed to a caution from the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America that says, “ATVs are designed, manufactured and sold for off-road use only.” The institute is a not-for-profit trade association sponsored by ATV manufacturers that promotes safe and responsible ATV use, according to the group’s website.
In a separate matter, the commissioners are considering lowering the speed limit on La Grange Road east of Brewster. After a significant increase in traffic, La Grange Road was recently paved, according to County Engineer Josh Thomson. Unless otherwise noted, paved roads have speed limits of 50 mph, but La Grange is a winding road with a lot of traffic from fruit growers and farm machinery, so the county wants to keep the speed limit at 35 mph on a 2.4-mile stretch, he said.
For more information or a copy of the petitions, contact Jo Ann Stansbury, engineer tech 3 at Okanogan County Public Works, at (509) 422-7337 or jstansbury@co.okanogan.wa.us.
The county commissioners have scheduled a hearing on the proposed speed-limit changes on Tuesday (June 30) at 2:45 p.m. in their hearing room in Okanogan. The La Grange Road discussion is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Comments can be submitted at the hearing or in advance to Stansbury at the email above.
