SEDONA, Ariz. (AZFamily) – The City of Sedona will become the first in the state to implement OHV speed limits early next month.
This comes after years of complaints from residents who still want more action from the city.
People who live in the Broken Arrow neighborhood sit on the outskirts of town, surrounded by beautiful red rocks. The main street, Morgan Road, connects directly to the popular OHV trail.
Christine Adams, who has lived here for 22 years, said this was causing a lot of problems for local residents.
“This problem really started happening at least 10 to 12 years ago,” Adams said. “My husband is a former mayor and has been in this job for 12 years.”
Stacey Shanks, who lives less than half a mile from the start of the off-road trail, said she has seen people nearly run over by OHVs.
“They can’t see around the corner. They can’t see if there are pedestrians, so it’s definitely a safety concern,” Shanks said.
After years of complaints and petitions from people who live in the area, the city unanimously passed a 15 mph OHV speed limit on Morgan Road on October 10th. 8.
This will be the state’s first and only OHV-specific speed limit.
This is expected to come into effect in early November. City Attorney Kurt Christianson said this will give the city time to prepare.
“That would give time for public works,” Christianson said at the Oct. 8 meeting. “They’ll have signs ready. Thirty days will give PD time to ramp up patrols on that road.”
Both Adams and Shanks are happy with the slowdown, but said it should have happened years ago.
Shank said overcrowding on trails and neighborhoods is one of the biggest concerns that remains unaddressed.
“And it won’t help if the driveway is blocked off,” Shanks said. “They come here. It’s the perfect location. They can’t even leave the driveway.”
Both men said they would like to see a gated permit system that would limit the number of OHVs on the trail each day to reduce traffic.
“People should be able to go back there, but it should be regulated,” Adams said.
OHV operators who did not want to appear on camera said they understand the community’s concerns but are frustrated that their reputations have been ruined by a few bad apples.
But they don’t want this to open a can of worms that will later limit speeds in other areas.
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