For three years, city bylaw officers and staff – including those working with the department through the summer – have been working to encouraging waterfront users to comply with bylaws around all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use and animal control.

Gentle persuasion, free leashes and plastic bags only go so far, it seems. So now, the city will start doling out tickets to those not following the rules on the waterfront, reporters were told at a Thursday afternoon conference.

"Now it's time to take action,” Mayor Bev Buckway said after reviewing the three main waterfront issues the city continues to get complaints about.

Over the past few years, she said, there have been numerous complaints about dogs being unleashed along the waterfront, dog excrement that hasn't been picked up by owners and ATV drivers making their way along the trail that's not supposed to be used by ATVs.

"It's particularly disturbing on our waterfront area,” Buckway said.

While everyone should be able to enjoy recreational opportunities in the city, the mayor added, there are some incompatible uses.

"How concerned would you be if you saw a Harley (being driven) on a sidewalk?” she asked, arguing that by the same token, ATVs have no place on the Millennium Trail.

"It's a public safety issue,” Buckway said, noting there have been many complaints on the matter.

Senior bylaw constable Dave Pruden noted one of the bigger issues over ATVs is around the machines being used on the pedestrian bridge across the Yukon River, connecting the two sides of the Millennium Trail.

"The Millennium Bridge is quite narrow,” he said, noting the safety issues it creates for people trying to cross on foot.

Several complaints – many from Riverdale residents near where the bridge is located – have come in over ATVs crossing the bridge at high speed.

Tickets for driving an ATV on a non-motorized trail are $100.

Similarly, dogs continue to be a problem for others using the trail.

As Buckway pointed out, not everybody using the waterfront trails enjoy a big, lumbering or even a small dog running up to them.

By keeping dogs leashed, everyone can enjoy the waterfront and it will help reduce the conflict when some dogs encounter one another, she said.

Summer bylaw staff who patrol the city on bike through the summer have handed out leashes and been on-hand to inform dog owners about where they can have their canine companion off-leash.

However, it hasn't been enough to deter all dog owners from permitting their dogs to roam the waterfront free of a leash.

Those without their dog on-leash could face a $75 ticket if their pet is licensed or $100 if it's not.

The city has also heard from many who have come across dog droppings left behind when owners don't clean up after their animals.

It seems to take on a larger focus in the spring when snow melt produces an odour that has been building through the winter, Pruden said.

Throughout the summer, he added, the waste can end up on shoes, strollers and equipment used by people with disabilities who make use of the trail.

"We have had this problem going on for quite some time,” Pruden said.

Much like the situation with the free leashes, personally handing out recycled plastic bags and having bag dispensers have not solved the problem.

Those found not cleaning up after their animal can face a $100 fine.

For the city's bylaw constables trying to provide information that will encourage trail users to follow the city's bylaws, it's virtually impossible to deal with every single situation.

While informing one culprit of the rules and handing out a leash or a plastic bag, there's another ATV rider or dog owner nearby committing the same offence, Pruden said.

"We can only deal with one at a time,” he said.

That means that along with the bicycle constables who will continue their work of informing the public of the city bylaws, there will be full-time constables also patrolling the area and issuing tickets where offences are found.

Pruden noted that while trail users can expect tickets to be issued for such infractions, officers will look at each situation on a case-by-case basis before deciding whether to issue a ticket.

It's hoped that by taking more of an enforcement approach, offenders will be encouraged to follow the bylaws, Buckway added.

Pruden also said that in addition to getting bags for dog waste from the dispensers along the trails, residents out with their dogs can approach a bylaw officer for them as well.