Valemount newspaper article of the checkstops

[fox68sd]

thankx for the info guys ,me and all my sledder buddies will never go to Valemount again,there's lots of other areas to go.......

 

[Timber_12]

Fox68sd


Exactly what my plan is! Never been and after reading all about this....never will. Too many other riding areas to ride without being hasseled.

It would be a totally different story if they had handed out a ton more warnings than chickensh*t tickets, and the public would have a great deal more respect for them. Instead they just distanced themselves from the everyday joe that much more and lost a ton of respect while doing it.

 

[powderpilot]

You guys should all go in on a lawyer to appear in court for you and dispute the tickets all at once.

90% of tickets that are disputed get tossed anyway, and if the cop that wrote the ticket doesn't show they throw it out. It doesn't cost anything to dispute.

It would be a big statement to the community.

 

[Taylzee]

for everyone here that stuck up for the RCs, Next time you go out, before you hit the road, stop by your local RCMP detachment and get them to go over your rig and give you a ticket for every infraction. The truth of the matter is that if you are looking for something you will find it.

I would venture a gues that 99% of the rigs out there have some sort of issue whether it's a breakaway not working properly or improper tire presssure for load rating or the kleenex box in your back window.

I believe the point here is not the actual infractions but that the RCs pulled a huge money grabbing power trip.

It would have been funny to see the infractions on the government vehicles that were at the check stop if they were looked at!

How many RCs actually do the full walk around vehicle inspection after they stop for lunch or pull a vehicle over.

The check stop wasn't a bad idea, but to pass out the fines they did instead of warnings and education is just plain wrong!

But that's the way of the world now! The government has to protect me from me!

I dare you to ask me how I really feel!

 

[frozey77]

thankx for the info guys ,me and all my sledder buddies will never go to Valemount again,there's lots of other areas to go.......

It sucks for Valemount, but for a lot of people, that is what they would rather do.

 

[Taz]

I am not defending the R.C.M.P. Any one light out should be a warning, minor things should be a warning, brakes and breakaway switches should be fines, bearing caps missing should be fines & those trailers should be taken away on a deck. I have been a Journeyman HD Mechanic & CVIP licensed mechanic for 19 years I have seen some bad sh#! I have been involved in fatality investigations. Anyone that thinks a breakaway system is a hazard or is not necessary should not ever be allowed to own a trailer let alone tow one. Any one that thinks that Valemount R.C.M.P. are the only ones targeting sledders are in for a rude awakening. All I can say is make sure your equipment is in good working order and test your breakaway regularly + clean and repack your wheel bearings on a schedule according to usage.. (I have seen the aftermath of a runaway trailer) And know the laws ignorance of the law is no excuse.
It sounds to me like they were treating every one like commercial transports because they don't get warnings they get FINES!

Be Safe by Maintaining!!!!!:d:d:d:d:d

 

[Mike270412]

Not trying to justify anything here cause the law is the law,but. I've been on the road waaaaay too long.couple million miles worth,and I have seen lots of crazy chit! But I have never yet seen a bumper pull trailer come unattached from a tow vehicle while moving. I have seen fifth wheel trailers fall off due to driver error; not doing a "tug test" before leaving the yard. I have a trailer that has a broken cable on the brakeaway that I never really thought to much about until now. Haven't even got a clue if the brakeaways work on either of my trailers. They will definately be in working order after all this! But like I stated earlier in this thread,;if the brakes are working fine a warning should have sufficed for brakeaway malfunction. A trailer coming unhooked on a bc mountain hiway isn't gonna make much much difference if it takes off by itself whether the brakes lock up or not. IMO

Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

 

[maxwell]

how about the fact the brakeaaway cord is too long to actuallu function unless the chains fail aswell. if its set at a length to pull when the hitch comes off you would pull it every time you turn a corner aswell

 

[sledhead_2002]

Albertan's don't have to pay tickets issued in BC, they will send you reminders in the mail for a couple of years and then give up. I think they fall off the record after a few years.

wrong. they send it to collection agenices.

and NOTHING ever "falls off the record" nothing!

 

[boots]

wow what a thread.... the RC's this the RC's that ... ummm well if you didnt go through your sh!t before you left... maybe next time you will... as for guys not going to vale to ride because of it thank you more pow for every one else ... even though i didn't go and get pulled over I'm sure i would have gotten a few fines but i will make sure for my next trip that nothing will be wrong ....

 

[NosRX1]

I agree with you in the fact that all the gear should be working properly before leaving the house. In this case the RC's are targeting a certain group sledders. If they were to set up a check stop on HWY 1 or along HWY 16 for that matter before Jasper so there is a more broad group of people...There is a point where this get a little ridiculous and thats what pissing people off....If they are going to focus just on sledders why don't they do there checks it at the staging areas and hotel... Maybe that would cut down on the sled thefts...just sayin!:d

 

[boots]

so check stops are no good then they better stop that too for it is targeting a certain group... come on.... i am not on here to support the RC's i hate them as much as the next guy but they are not going away so live with it.....

 

[OOC ZigZag]

I say Fawk em ride out of town on locals trails and avoid the scum if and when you can.:d

 

[maxwell]

In this valley the highway connects all the riding areas. Mcbride, blue, valemount. Depending where the checkstop is there may be no avoiding it from any of these spots

 

[Kavaleen]

Well said Roy, I think too its just a matter of time before we see DOT checks on Recreational vehicles here in Alberta as well. Listening to the officer speak Friday night made me think, I've owned my holiday trailer for 4 years now, not once have I ever pulled that breakaway pin to see if the trailer brakes were working, but at the same time, its a single axle under 2500lb trailer so I don't actually need them. But from what the officer said "if its equiped, they must work".... news to me.

Some breakaway brakes need to have the batteries replaced each time you pull the brake cable out. We change ours each time we change the smoke detector batteries so they are fresh if we need them.

 

[OOC ZigZag]

In this valley the highway connects all the riding areas. Mcbride, blue, valemount. Depending where the checkstop is there may be no avoiding it from any of these spots

Was talking to Robin last year from Holy Smokes Inn and he said there were trails from town going to all the major riding areas. Just looking for a solution to the problem.:d

 

[canuck5]

You'd rather stay away from Valemount than ensure you have safe equipment that protects others everywhere you operate it?

No but I know i'd rather ride somewhere else that has less chance of reciving bs tickets even if I am safe.

 

[maxwell]

Was talking to Robin last year from Holy Smokes Inn and he said there were trails from town going to all the major riding areas. Just looking for a solution to the problem.:d

Yes. However if you leave blue river to get home there is only one way so you will still get stoped.

 

[tfitz]

I am in no way sticking up for the RC's here BUT, I have been stopped a couple of time that I have been in Valemount, and also have went through the check stops that they have had, some of the RC's have been complete losers some have been great. My truck (or past trucks) are far from road legal trucks (tinted windows, fog lights, lift kits etc etc..) I have been harassed about these things, am I pissed at the cops for harrissing me well kinda yeah, but I know there illegal, and I don't change it so I bring it on myself. I keep my stuff in excellent shape and have now problem with the police checking my Break aways.They are there for a reason and I want to konw the trailers I am meeting on the highway are maintained also. Its like Zacs Tracks says in avalanche training, You can go out and spend all the money in the world, have the best tools in your tool box but if the other riders don't care (to buy the beacons and probes)all the stuff you bought does nothing to help you. I feel Trailers are the same if I go through all the effort to make sure my chit won't kill anyone then I want to know guys are taking the same steps to make sure I get to go home at the end of the day.

 

[Riverjet]

Give your head a shake. That is not was tex78 meant. Everybody wants their equipment safe. Some people would just rather not deal with the drama of getting pulled into 3 checkstops in one day(I'm going on heresay, I wasn't there for MM4). I'm sure it isn't like that all the time, but it can still leave a bad taste in a lot of sledders mouths. What makes it worse is that it can get blown up on Snow and Mud in a matter of hours which turns a lot more off. We know they are cracking down on everything. Just do everything you can to make sure that your stuff is good to go.

If your friend didn't mean what he said, why did he say it? The only reason to stay away is because he isn't safe and doesn't want to be caught and ticketed.

Now go find a wall and smack your head against it!:d