A SCORE of trailbike riders have been handed infringement penalties totalling more than $8,000 after being caught illegally riding in protected areas of the Great Otway National Park.<\/p>\n
A Parks Victoria enforcement operation supported by Victoria Police and officers from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) issued the penalty notices to 21 riders last month.<\/p>\n
Trailbike riding is legally allowed within many state forests and parks, but riders must remain on designated vehicle tracks.<\/p>\n
Off-road riding damages the environment and can place other members of the public at risk.<\/p>\n
The enforcement operation, which saw more than 200 riders stopped, was brought together following observations by Parks Victoria staff and reports from the Surf Coast community.<\/p>\n
Offences included riding on management-only roads, riding in a water catchment area and riding off-road in a national park.<\/p>\n
A number of individuals were also stopped for unlicensed and unregistered riding, and for carrying a firearm in a national park, matters that will be further investigated by Victoria Police.<\/p>\n
\u201cThousands of kilometres of designated tracks are available for trailbike riding state-wide, so it\u2019s disappointing to see people going off-road in the national park and damaging the environment,\u201d Parks Victoria ranger team leader Scott Nicholson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fines for off-road riding range from $160 to $790, so it\u2019s important that riders are clear on where they can and can\u2019t go.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat Otway National Park protects significant populations of native plants and animals, including threatened species, which is why damaging activities like off-road riding are not tolerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting the landscape and habitat is critical for ensuring the park remains healthy now and into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information about trailbike riding on public land, head to parks.vic.gov.au or delwp.vic.gov.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A SCORE of trailbike riders have been handed infringement penalties totalling more than $8,000 after being caught illegally riding in protected areas of the Great Otway National Park. A Parks Victoria enforcement operation supported by Victoria Police and officers from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) issued the penalty notices to 21 […]<\/p>\n