A majority of Whitehorse residents have made it clear they want to see snowmobile use more tightly controlled within the city.

This morning, city officials unveiled the results of a DataPath Systems survey showing, among other highlights:

• 58 per cent want greater enforcement of snowmobiles within the city;

• 73 per cent believe snowmobile use in residential neighbourhoods should be limited;

• 72 per cent believe there should be designated trails for snowmobile use throughout the city; and

• 59 per cent believe it's important to separate motorized and non-motorized trail use in Whitehorse.

The statistically valid survey of 209 residents was done as part of the city's bylaw review about snow machine use in the city.

"We are getting a lot of valuable information from the survey,” said bylaw manager Dave Pruden.

The review began early this year with the formation of a task force made up of representatives from various interest groups, including the Klondike Snowmobile Association and the Yukon Conservation Society, which will draft recommendations for council.

The survey, along with a public meeting expected in April, will help the task force gauge where the public stands on issues around snowmobile use in the city.

Outside The Cube is facilitating the project. Company president Dee Enright said the task force has come up with a list of key areas it will focus on, including environmental protection, signage and trail development, legislation and enforcement, education and public safety, and the economic impact of snowmobile sales in the city.

While the Yukon government is exploring its own legislation around off-road vehicle use as well, Enright and Pruden both noted the city's review is focused on snowmobile use within city limits, with the exception of where trails lead.

Work is being done with the territory's Department of Environment to help ensure city trails don't venture into environmentally sensitive areas outside of the municipal boundaries, the two officials said. They also pointed to the work that's being done to look at environmentally sensitive areas within the city.

The city's Official Community Plan identifies environmentally sensitive areas. Though snowmobiles may be seen as not doing a lot of damage because they are travelling over snow, Pruden pointed out there are some slopes that don't have a lot of snow where plant life underneath can experience damage.

The degree of snow compression can also impact the plant life, he noted.

City public relations manager Matthew Grant also pointed to concerns around the shoulder seasons when snow and ice are not at the same level they are during the middle of winter.

In the survey, 48 per cent of respondents said snowmobiles damage the environment, with 65 per cent wanting snowmobiles banned in environmentally sensitive areas, 37 per cent wanting them banned near watersheds, 32 per cent in residential areas and 14 per cent within city limits.

As Pruden noted, the survey results indicate city residents want both increased legislation and enforcement of that legislation.

With just one bylaw officer assigned to focus on city trails, enforcement can be difficult, leaving the city to focus largely on education.

Enright was quick to note user groups have been working over the years to educate its members as well, a process that is working in some ways.

A decade ago, she pointed out, the majority of snowmobilers out at the White Pass summit through the winter didn't wear helmets.

Now it is extremely rare to see anyone there not wearing a helmet. That change has come largely due to education campaigns, she pointed out.

Pruden said there weren't any major surprises for him out of the survey, with many of the issues mirroring what he's heard coming into his office.

Complaints about snowmobile use are typically around the speed of the machines, damage to the environment and confrontations between users of motorized vehicles and those not using the machines.

Within the survey, 84 per cent said they've come across snowmobiles while they were using a trail for non-motorized use.

Forty-six per cent described the experiences as negative, with 54 per cent describing them as positive.

Among other findings of the survey:

• 41 per cent used snowmobiles in the last two years, with 49 per cent of those using them less than once a month, 81 per cent driving through the back country most often and 90 per cent going out most often on weekends;

• 74 per cent believe snowmobile operators should be at least 16 years old, with 54 per cent saying operators under the age of 16 are a problem in the city;

• 58 per cent say all snowmobile operators should be required to take a training course; and

• 47 per cent say snowmobiling is a safe and fun recreational activity;

Before any recommendations are brought forward, the city will again hear from the public at the public meeting, though no date or location for that has been set.

While it will be up to council to adopt any bylaw changes, Pruden said it would be "desirable” to have a new bylaw in place by next winter.

After dealing with the snowmobile bylaw, the city is expecting to review its ATV regulations as well.