Be polite.
That's the simple message to snowmobilers from the president of the Sno Voyageurs Snowmobile Club.
Roy Maddox is speaking out after two mouthy snowmobilers cost sledders 'quite a few' kilometres of trail around Barrie.
"They mouthed off to a lady on a trail that was walking and the lady happened to be the owner's wife and they kicked us off," explains Maddox with disgust at the sledders. "They were foul-mouthed to the lady so we lost all the trail behind the city dump round by the airport and down Sunnidale Road toward our clubhouse."
It's a growing problem volunteers are constantly dealing with according to Maddox who says it's the volunteers who have to go out and try to convince landowners to continue allowing sledders to use their properties.
The trails that are now off-limits in Barrie had been used by riders for 'many, many, many years,' says Maddox.
"We've been having some trouble for the last couple of years and we managed to convince them to to keep it open. We've made changes and re-routed and so forth on their property- put up some fences, doing anything we could to maintain but this was the straw that broke the camel's back and we're outta there and I think it's for good."
Sledders will either have to run the roads or trespass to get around.
The veteran rider of forty years doesn't blame the landowners for kicking sledders out.
"Absolutely not. I don't blame them a bit. We're really at all the landowners mercy and what's in it for them? They get nothing for it. They're trying to be good, friendly neighbours and help the members and people that want to get out and enjoy the outdoors. They're being nice and you can't blame them at all."
Maddox is urging riders to be polite to everyone else who uses the trails including hikers, dog walkers and horseback riders.
He says sledders should slow down or stop and let the other trail user get by and then take off.
"Any message we can get out there to these crazy stupid snowmobilers that are doing the bad things," said Maddox. "We want other snowmobilers to report it when they see people doing this. Take pictures. Get the numbers off of their sleds. Report it. Then we can do something about it."
The club recently had to re-sign the agreement to use a big, long section of the C trail that runs up toward Midland.
"Because some idiots are out there taking the signs down," said Maddox. "Putting people's lives at risk because they take the signs down and people don't know where the curves are coming up, where the stop signs are. It makes it very dangerous and we don't need that. Why do people do these crazy things? Who knows."
And it's the volunteers who have to do all the ground work with no compensation - not even a free permit.
As the 2016-2017 snowmobiling season kicks off, Maddox says be respectful and thank the landowners.
"We're losing trail like crazy," said Maddox.
"When you consider there are 32,000 kilometres of trails across the province and we're having a bit of trouble here, you multiply that across the province, it's just an enormous amount of work for all the volunteers."
