- Off-road vehicles are stirring up the dust and noise in Mona and adversely affecting neighbors
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Having a fire station with an empty city lot next door has been a big problem for nearby residents.
Philip Bandley, council member, said he had received some complaints from residents in the area because of the dust that is thrown up by those using off-road vehicles.
“The people living next the area can hardly breathe because of the amount of dust that is stirred up,” he said.
He said the four-wheel vehicles had really been bothering folks who live in the area.
Bandley said the homeowners in the area have an issue with the illegal use of off-road vehicles in areas that are not designated or zoned for their use and the city lot is one of those un-zoned areas.
Some homeowners are making dusty tracks on that property that is adversely affecting neighbors. Some riders intentionally trespass onto the property and are making dusty trails where their use is explicitly limited. “There used to be signs posted there that no motorized vehicles would be allowed in the area,” he said.
The signs have been pushed over and are no longer visible. Bandley said that some of those using the hills for off-road riding are creating problems both by creating loud noise and creating so much dust that their is poor air quality.
“One person just rode up to the sign and pushed it over,” said Bandley.
Those living in the neighborhood wondered if the damaged and/or missing signs could be replaced.
Two weeks ago, council members decided to replace the signs and ask law enforcement to assist neighbors by enforcing the “no motorized vehicles” restriction by issuing tickets to offenders.
Now, however, with the decision to build on the property, the city council may, quite accidentally, prevent the use of the land by four-wheelers because of the construction and, once construction is complete, a building.
“It is becoming a big dust bowl,” said Harry Newell, council member.
In addition to the dust, there is lots of noise.
Noise pollution is an unwanted human-created sound that has the effect of being annoying, distracting, painful, or physically harmful. People exposed to noise pollution suffer from hearing loss, sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue, anxiety, hostility, depression and hypertension.
World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, United Nations and numerous scientific and medical publications recognize noise pollution and its deleterious effects.
The intense sound caused by off-road vehicles easily triggers an involuntary stress response.
“One individual has been really suffering with the dust,” said Bandley.
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