'How is that going to be policed?' Island Trails questions allowing ATVs on Confederation Trail

Hikers and cyclists sharing P.E.I.'s Confederation Trail with all-terrain vehicles may be possible in theory, but Island Trails is concerned that it won't be a good idea in practice.

The Confederation Trail is built on old railway lines and runs from one end of the province to the other, and is designated as Prince Edward Island's portion of the Trans Canada Trail. Currently, outside of winter months, the trail is reserved for non-motorized use.

"For us, really our biggest fear is just losing this protected space," said Tracey Gairns Brioux, executive director of Island Trails.

"It's a safe space for people to go and be active and not worry about traffic and motorized vehicles, and so we're just worried about losing that."

Horse riding is allowed on some stretches, and the trail is reserved for snowmobiles from Dec. 1 to March 31 as part of a longstanding lease deal with the P.E.I. Snowmobile Association. The province has been seeking input in recent weeks on how people are using the trail now, and how they would like to use it in the future.

The current provincial policy toward ATV use is summed up by this sentence on the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure's website: "ATV vehicles with their aggressive tire tread design cause damage to the trail's surface and are therefore not permitted on the Confederation Trail."

The ATV Federation of P.E.I. is keen to see that change.

In particular, the group wants to use part of the Confederation Trail to link existing ATV trails to create a continuous path spanning the whole length of the Island. They argue that would be good for tourism.

But Gairns Brioux said the experience in other provinces has been that sharing doesn't work.

"Research, especially in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick where that does exist, is showing that it's deterring and displacing cyclists and walkers and hikers from using the trail because they're just too nervous for their safety," she said.

The ATV Federation says it wants to create an etiquette program for riders on shared trails as part of a solution for motorized vehicles sharing the Confederation Trail with cyclists and pedestrians.

"How is that going to be policed?" said Gairns Brioux. "It's not so much that we don't believe in that possibility, it's just that how do you maintain that?

"We don't have the resources to have police on our trails to keep people off."

Gairns Brioux also wonders where the requests will stop.

She notes that in 2019, ATVers were provided with designated spots where they could cross the trail. Four years later, the ATV federation is looking for access to about 10 per cent of the trail, largely on less-travelled portions of it.

The federal government provides support for Confederation Trail as a greenway that is not open to motorized vehicles. Gairns Brioux is concerned that support could be lost if ATVs are allowed on the trail.

The P.E.I. government is accepting input on the future of the Confederation Trail, including an online survey, until Dec. 1.