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BELLAIRE -Commissioners will vote next month on whether to adopt a state law that allows off road vehicles to ride down the shoulder of county roads.

Public Act 240 was signed into law by Governor Jennifer Granholm earlier this summer, and each county can decide whether or not to adopt it. The counties that do will see people driving ORVs along county roads on the far right shoulder at a speed no greater than 25 miles per hour.

Commissioner Laura Stanek brought up the act at the board's monthly meeting, saying she has received calls from her constituents asking what the county plans to do.

Though Stanek and others said many people have expressed favor toward an ordinance adopting the act, the commissioners aren't sure it would be a good idea.

"If you allow them on roads, they'll be taking shortcuts through fields," Stanek said. "It will make it worse."

Commissioner Jerroll Drenth said the matter was discussed recently at the Paul Bunyan Conference in Elk Rapids, where 11 northwestern Michigan county road commissions meet. He said the consensus there was opposed to the idea, especially because it many road commissioners feel there would be a higher risk for accident.

"The biggest thing against it is that the county commissions can approve it, but the road commissions figure they have the liability for accidents or claims that can result from that," Drenth said. "The road commissions don't feel that the ORVs should be able to run on the traveled portion of the road."

Drenth, a former Antrim County road commissioner for 12 years, noted this is different than allowing snowmobiles to travel along the roads, because snowmobiles run on untraveled portions, between the snow bank and tree line.

Stanek added the Antrim County road commission manager is strongly opposed to it.

Proponents of the act believe it could help promote business and ORV-friendly policies could encourage visitors.

"The other side is a lot of businesses realize it will bring business in," Commissioner Gene Dawson said. "And if they're not driving down the road, they're often going on private property."

Stanek made a motion that Antrim County not take part in the act, but rescinded it after the commissioners decided they didn't have enough information yet.

"I think we need to study it a bit more," Drenth said.

If the county does decide to adopt this ordinance, each township would be included to follow the same regulations, though a township can opt out if its board so chooses.

The county road commission can also ban the allowance of use on up to 30 percent of the county roads. The law would not include state roads.

Hadley Robinson can be reached at hrobinson@michigannewspapers.com or by calling 231-533-8523.