MOOSIC - Since implementing an ordinance in July that prohibits drivers of all-terrain vehicles from gassing up at borough stations, Police Chief Charles Maurer doesn't believe a single citation has been issued.
Then again, ATV activity began to drop off right around that time, he said.
The borough has had difficulty with ATV riders in the past. ATV riders have left litter and damaged land while driving through private property around Montage Mountain. Near the train tracks at Spring Street and Main Street, riders would drive up and down the road at high speeds, endangering not only themselves but residents and cars, Chief Maurer said.
At a July 10 meeting, borough council members unanimously approved a law aimed at keeping ATVs from filling up at gas stations. To gas an ATV up, the owner needs to put the gas in a fire-marshal-approved container and then transfer it to the vehicle.
If an ATV pulls up to the pumps and begins filling up directly, the gas station faces a $600 fine.
The effort was described by council as an attempt to curb the reckless ATV driving on borough streets. Mayor James Segilia said gas stations were not packed with ATV riders, but they would still show up.
"They've got to get their gas," he said.
Just before the ordinance was passed, a June 16 sting operation cited 46 drivers and confiscated 12 ATVs for trespassing and for driving illegally on streets. Two weeks later, borough police cited another seven.
Since then, there have been few reports of ATV trouble in the borough.
Chief Maurer said he believes since each of the borough's gas stations received a copy of the ordinance after it passed, gas attendants look to see who is filling up before turning the pumps on. If there is an ATV at the pump, the pump stays switched off.
"They can see the pumps before they turn them on," Chief Maurer said. "If they see an ATV, they wouldn't turn the pump on."
But an employee at a Birney Avenue Exxon has heard differently. Shai Batel said he has heard from customers that ATV riders have used credit cards to fill up at a station, negating the need to go inside.
"It's not the fault of the gas station or the clerk," Mr. Batel said.
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter