MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After a rash of vehicles going into the water, the Hennepin County sheriff's office is banning cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles from all frozen lakes in the county.
Sheriff's officials say ice conditions are becoming increasingly unpredictable because of the unseasonably warm weather.
Lake access points were closing Thursday and will remain closed until further notice.
Snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles are still allowed on Hennepin County lakes. But people walking or ice fishing on lakes are urged to be careful because of the thin ice and open water.
Authorities say it's unsafe for vehicles to drive on lakes, rivers or ponds in Hennepin County. Lake Minnetonka has areas of open water and dangerous channels with moving water.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Comments (2)
Add commentDuh!
A ban on cars, trucks and the rest should have been done a long time ago state wide. How many vehicles and people have gone through the ice this year? Too many for sure. Rescues and recoveries are very expensive and shouldn't be the burden of the taxpayer. The fool's going out there and dropping themselves and vehicles through the ice should be footing the bill to pluck them out of the water.
banning vehicals
As far as I know the cost of "recovery" is left up to the person whos vehical went through the ice. As for rescues I would believe these law enforcement people are "on the clock" anyway so they are just being paid a normal days pay. I'm not saying that driving on some lakes in Mn. is the smartest thing to do at this time but a statewide ban would be stupid. Apparently Hennepin Co. doesn't have enough rules to try to enforce. I believe just about every County in Mn. has a Hoovercraft available for rescue if need be--so use them- if there is added expenses-bill the rescued person.