The chance for the public to have a say on the proposal for quad bike tours on protected land in the West End passed yesterday.

However, the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Task Force questioned whether all submissions had been received by the Department of Parks.

BEST said some people had reported technical problems with their e-mails failing to deliver.

The use of all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, on the Railway Trail and protected reserves in Sandys, has been branded “troublesome” by BEST, which hosted a walk on part of the proposed route over the weekend.

With the group urging the public to register their disapproval at the proposal, about 100 people walked in Hog Bay Park on Sunday.

BEST recommended that concerned members of the public also copy their complaints to the group “as an insurance policy so that comments won’t just disappear”.

A statement read: “While we support public consultation on issues that will have a collective impact, we feel it must be said it’s better to have a consultation before decisions are made rather than being tempted to use consultation to shore up an already-made decision.”

The Department of Parks opened the proposal to public consultation two weeks ago.

While the ATV idea was given tentative approval by the previous minister, it has come under consistent fire from residents, farmers and environmental groups.

The Garden Club of Bermuda lodged its objections yesterday with a hand-delivered letter to the parks office.

A statement from its president, Cindy Young, said the group “commends Government’s public consultation on this matter and implores Government to deny permission for this misuse of our valuable protected parklands”.

Ms Young said that the National Parks Act had been created for the protection of open spaces, calling it a “travesty” to see parks damaged in the name of eco-tourism.