Concerns about the potential danger of allowing ATV riders on a section Main Street where the speed limit climbs to 50 mph, and neighbors’ complaints of the chaos they said ensued the last time ATVs were allowed in the area, prompted Topsham selectmen to table the proposal.

Selectmen voted unanimously Thursday to convene a stakeholders group to seek common ground on the proposal to allow ATV riders to use a 0.8-mile section of Main Street, which is also U.S. Route 201, to reconnect two local ATV club trail systems on opposite sides of Interstate 295.

Those stakeholders are likely to include members of the Charron family. Two family members spoke against the proposal Thursday describing how the former trail through their neighborhood —at one end of the proposed access route — affected their lives.

Suzanna Charron said her home is about 150 feet from a gate on the western side of I-295 where the proposed ATV road access would end and ATVs would enter into the woods at a former temporary on ramp. There was previously a trail there, but it was discontinued and gated off about 10 years ago.

She, and her father-in-law, David Charron, who also lives in the neighborhood, said the trail was closed then due to “chaos” caused by riders abusing the trail system.

While David Charron declined to describe the alleged chaos, Suzanna Charron said it included ATVs coming through their neighborhood on the trail late at night and as early as 3 a.m. People coming down their driveway and blocking it with trucks and trailers, riders yelling and swearing at them and, on one occasion, when she was walking her dogs, an ATV rider stopped on the trail, fired four gunshots and rode off.

She said she and other neighbors would hear every single ATV on the trail as it passed through.

She also said U.S. Route 201, which changes from 30 mph to 50 mph within the section sought for ATV access, is already unsafe, and would be more so if ATVs were added to the mix of already dangerous traffic. She said her daughter’s car was totaled after she was rear-ended while waiting to turn into their driveway and there have been other accidents in the area, as well.

Thomas Sturgeon, CEO of Crooker Construction, which operates construction facilities that abut both sides of the proposed ATV route, and has two entrances which riders would cross, wrote a letter to the town expressing safety concerns with the proposal. He also said the company already has ongoing problems with what he described as “the 5% to 10%” of ATV riders who don’t comply with the rules, some of whom trespass and ride in company pits and quarries and have nearly run over, sworn at, and threatened employees.

He said there is a lot of truck traffic at each entrance and the visibility and speed of ATVs is a significant safety concern.

“I’m not against ATVs and have given permission over the years on several of our properties,” Sturgeon wrote. “I just think this proposal needs a lot of work to make it safe for everyone and have serious concerns over how this can be done and enforced.”

The proposal would designate 0.8 mile from Eagle’s Way by Mt. Ararat High School, down Main Street to just over I-295 as an official ATV access route, connecting existing trail systems separated by the interstate.

Jenny Little, president of the Topsham Trailriders, a local ATV and snowmobile club, said their proposal to reconnect existing eastern and western trail networks could help make Topsham a destination for outdoor recreation which could provide a boost to local businesses.

She noted the 25-year-old club is very active in the community, with some of its 170 members volunteering at events and raising funds for veterans and cancer care. She said the goal of the proposal is for it to improve access in a safe and responsible manner that benefits the community.

Ron Carey, vice president of Topsham Trailriders, said technology has developed over the last 10 years so now, points on the access route could be monitored by cameras to identify troublemaker he said the club would then adress problems.

Roger Bickford, a town councilor in Lisbon, said that town allows ATVs to access multiple roads in town without problems.

“Just give it a chance, if it doesn’t work then you’ve got the power to say no,” Bickford said.

Little said the club is looking to secure the support of the town for the proposal before approaching state Department of Transportation officials, who would also have to approve the request.

Andrew Gobeil, director of communications for the state transportation department, said an application for an ATV or snowmobile route must be submitted to the state Department of Conservation Off-Road Vehicle Division and must be accompanied by a written municipal request for the access route. He said MaineDOT would also review the proposal and take a number of factors, including the roadway, shoulder width, and reason for the access route, in considering the request.

After about an hour of debate, selectmen tabled the proposal, until their Sept. 3 meeting, and opted to form a group of stakeholders to work with town officials and see if agreement can be reached on a safe way to move the proposal forward.

“Safety is a concern, I think everybody can recognize that, whether you’re for or against it,” said Ryan Holmes, vice chairman of the board. “I think if we get together and work out the kinks, this could work. And it will be more likely to to be successful.”

Police Chief Marc Hagan and other officials who looked at the proposal have recommended ATVs ride with the flow of other traffic in the roadway, not on the shoulder, for better visibility and to avoid conflicts with pedestrians or bicyclists.