Rustygunz60 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2020 6:06 am
There is a public sand road coming in from Rt 530 from the south that intersects the old PRR ROW exactly where Crossley was. It is just west of the airpark entrance, between the small industrial park on the north side of 530 and and an auto repair shop on the south side. The sand road is bordered by Ocean County Natural Land Trust property on both side as you first leave 530, then on both sides by New Jersey Natural Land Trust as you approach the ROW. The road itself is owned by neither entity from what I can make of the maps I use. There's a seasonable puddle near the end that may give your pause but I've cautiously driven through it with a 2x4 pickup without issue. It's not a far walk if you choose to not go through it. I've driven in from either end on the PRR ROW as well but since that is now a utility ROW the legality of driving on it my be questionable.
I'd avoid using an ATV in that area. They would not be legal on the sand road unless registered and definitely not on the utility easement or adjacent land trust properties.
Correct. Trespass on utility property including transmission or distribution rights of way is a 4th degree crime in New Jersey punishable by up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. In pertinent part, the NJ Statute reads: "N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3. a. A person commits an offense if, knowing that he is not licensed or privileged to do so, . . . . he enters or surreptitiously remains or in or upon utility company property. . . . An offense under this subsection is a crime of the fourth degree if it is committed in or upon utility company property."
If the sand road is a public road an ATV cannot legally travel along it under any circumstances, it is no different than a paved public road in that respect. Only street legal vehicles, which ATVs are not even if registered and insured, can use public roads other than to cross from one side of the road to the other. If the sand road is a private road, the ATV driver could use it only with permission of the road owner or lessee.