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In this way, the aim is to stop the rampant off-road thugs on the UNESCO-protected Curonian Spit, who are destroying the delicate forest floor with vehicles equivalent to agricultural machinery, razing the dunes and the coast.
“A very clear message will be sent: ATVs used for entertainment in Neringa are not desirable. That fee of EUR 500 is a deterrent. If it doesn’t help, we will increase it even more. For local residents or businesses using ATVs not for entertainment, they will have the same order, but with certain reservations, “Darius Jasaitis, mayor of Neringa, told the Western Express.
Maximum rate
The unbridled fury of quads at heritage sites or objects considered of natural value, in other illicit locations, is relevant to all of Lithuania, but this winter hooligans attacked the Curonian Spit. One after another, cases were recorded where the forest floor was paved by off-road vehicles, the sandy mountains were driven out, and the seashore was flooded.
The locals noticed that people brought quads, the so-called buggies, to the peninsula during the quarantine, because many citizens have second residences in Neringa, renting apartments for one or two months.
The management of the Curonian Spit National Park (KNNP) has sadly stated that what is most valuable on the spit has now become a place for vandal entertainment.
Hooligans are not put off by the fact that driving a vehicle at Curonian Spit on non-hard roads is subject to a fine of up to 900 euros and damage to nature can still be calculated.
Given the situation, the politicians of Neringa have taken preventive measures: a change has been prepared in the procedure of the local tax for the admission of motor vehicles to said municipality and will be discussed in the City Council next week. There is no doubt that the drastic measures will be welcomed, as the Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Management Committees and the Environment and Tourism Committee have already given the green light.
Photo from KNNP Management / The high mountains of the peninsula have become an amusement park for nature hooligans. ATV tracks are found in many places
According to the last president, Vaidas Venckus, 500 euros will have to be paid for both quadricycles and people with similar tricycles. Now a maximum (€ 70) is required to pay for buses with more than 30 seats.
“A good decade ago, we got rid of cars and trucks in transit across the peninsula in a similar way. They were assigned, apparently, a thousand. litas fee. This decision was effective because neither “drills” nor machines intended for sale abroad travel by spit to the Kaliningrad region. We hope ATVs will also be repelled in this way, “he told the Western Express.
It is true that although the residents of Neringa have a similar procedure, there will be some reserves, because there are many fishing companies on the peninsula. These vehicles travel to the fishing grounds and carry icebergs in the winter.
“A person can transport an ATV to the mainland due to technical failures to register it and then transport it back to Neringa. Or by purchasing a new one. However, in such cases, the locals will be able to receive the benefit only by requesting it in writing to the director of the Municipal Administration and proving through documents that the vehicle will not be used for entertainment, but for work, ”said V. Venckus.
Arūnas Burkšas, Chairman of the Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Management Committee, reported that fraud would not be possible.
“If a quad is brought and the local benefit is used, the Municipality and the police will have the details of the vehicle and its owner. If a Neringa neighbor does not justify that the ATV is not transported for entertainment, he will have to pay 500 euros”, said the politician.
On the other hand, Neringa also lacks stricter controls on nature’s hooligans on wheels.
“Will the guest, having paid 500 euros, be able to ride the Curonian Spit wherever he wants? It will pay once and it will enrage. Insurance is the simplest, but you must also exercise control. I miss its mechanism. Both the police and the environment must be more active and impose fines, “he said.
Headless warrior
Looking at the names of the existing four-wheeler clubs in Lithuania, one can suspect that these vehicles are driven by really aggressive people. “Off-road Wolves”, “ATV Monsters”, “Off-Road Hippos”, “Swamp Horrors” … These are just some of the official names of the organizations. However, according to Paulius Vaisneider, president of the Lithuanian ATV Association, ATV clubs bring together people who follow the rules.
“Nature, mounds, dunes or the coast are often destroyed by people who do not belong to any four-wheeler organization, even by vandals.
If a person does not have his head on his shoulders, he can cause damage anywhere: both in the sand dunes and in the wetlands.
We try to drive only where it is allowed, we analyze maps before walking, we activate navigation. But there will always be characters in any community who will screw things up, there will be that spoonful of tar in the honey barrel. We strongly oppose driving around natural objects on the Curonian Spit, ”he said.
In the opinion of the ATV enthusiast, after this winter’s scandals on the peninsula, it was to be expected that the patience of the politicians would run out and they would take drastic measures.
“This is not the first drink, because the government of another resort, Birštonas, has prohibited entering the city not only on quads, but also on motorcycles. By the way, the legal system of our state is such that it is very easy for the unpunished to murmur in forbidden places. Some time ago, off-road vehicles were registered as agricultural machinery. These records are no longer valid. About 90 percent. For all ATVs, no registration as this is simply not possible due to the messy and punctured legal framework. So people feel relaxed: there are no state numbers and the owner is not known, ”said P. Vaisneider.
At present, only ATVs up to 15 kW are registered in Lithuania, although most of them are much more powerful.
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