ANKENY, Iowa — Since February, the Ankeny City Council has been debating whether all-terrain vehicles, utility-task vehicles and golf carts should be street-legal.
Now, UTVs will soon be allowed on certain roads in Ankeny's after the city council passed the third and final reading of a new ordinance on Monday.
"There's voices on both sides of the issue. Some people are unhappy with the UTVs, some people are really excited about the option," said Ankeny council member Jeff Perry. "A lot of people are going to just drive these out of the city anyway.”
In 2022, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill that standardized rules for ATVs and UTVs across all 99 counties in Iowa. The bill included several restrictions and safety requirements, like requiring headlights and limiting speeds to 35 miles per hour.
However, cities were permitted to set their own rules, and UTVs remained illegal on Ankeny streets.
Some members of the public have expressed safety concerns to council, but Dan Taube is one Ankeny citizen, and UTV user, who sees no issue.
"There’s no concerns as far as I can see for any kind of safety to traffic in town," Taube said. "You’re gonna drive your truck, your motorcycle, your bicycle, or one of these.”
Taube has had an active role in creating and pushing forward the UTV ordinance. Utility task vehicles are very comparable to Jeep’s wrangler model, and he believes that they’re just as safe as a normal car, if not safer.
"We have our seatbelts obviously... and then in the back seat, I did opt for four point harnesses, so I feel ever more safe with my daughter in the back seat than in a standard machine," Taube said.
City council members say that an announcement will be made on social media when UTVs are officially allowed on Ankeny streets.
For more information on Ankeny's public hearing agendas, visit https://www.ankenyiowa.gov/129/Agendas-Minutes.