Hope I am posting this in a proper forum Is M-type license required for riding a blue plated bike on Crown Land? In case if the answer is 'NO' I will ask two more questions - can someone under the age of 16 ride a blue plated bike on Crown Land? - is there a way to tell if I am on a Crown Land trail or on a public (county) road (where a license is required and that can be patrolled by the OPP). Thank you!
There is a crown land atlas but even the people who maintain it freely admit it is not accurate so it's useless. Anything I've ever read says it's up to you to know where you are and if it's legal to be there. How you do that is not specified and I do not know a good way of doing it aside from riding in places known to not cause issues. As for the licenses I'm not sure. If you're not on a road then I guess the HTA doesn't apply but you still need insurance for the bike, even on crown land, which cannot be had by someone under 16 or without a license. I'd say you're out of luck but I'm not really that familiar with the law either.
Thank you, as I suspected, noone knows exactly. The bikes in question belong to me and are plated and properly insured. The other rider would be riding one of these bikes, so the bike itself is in the clear. The only question does the rider need to have a license, or can that person be under the age 16. I know for the fact that young children are allowed to ride off-road (green plated I assume) bikes in Ganaraska forest (and other places in Ontario probably too). Question is - would they be allowed to do that on a blue plated bike?
If you are riding on "trail" (ie: not on a roadway), an M licence is not required, but an off road plate (green) and insurance on the bike is required. If riding on a "road" then a blue plate and M license are required.
I think the answer is you still need liability insurance since you're not on your private property. Maybe ask your insurance company? I think they'll tell you that you are allowed to let a licensed operator use the bike (same as loaning out your car). No license, no insurance, no ride on public land. Ask the insurance company if you can buy off-road liability insurance for the street plated bike? Green plates are a different story but as you said we're talking blue.
Ask your insurance company about an opcf032 endorsement for your policy. Unlisc operator of recreational vehicle. In my opinion you won't get a ticket from police as long as you have plates and insurance and aren't on the road without an M. Whats being questioned here is insurance coverage if something happens. For that talk to a lisenced insurance broker.