WINDHAM -- Neighbors of the Windham Depot parking lot are pushing for new restrictions to close the lot at night and prohibit loitering, littering and open alcohol containers.

Speed-limit signs should also be posted and restrictions on noise should be clearly spelled out, residents said. Selectmen agreed Monday night to send the matter to the town's highway committee for review and recommendations. A public hearing on the matter could be scheduled after the committee completes its work.

Local residents Mark Samsel and John Mangan are leading the charge for the new set of rules on the lot, which has about 40 spaces. The residents were also instrumental in the push for legislation banning all-terrain vehicles on a portion of the Rockingham Recreational Trail, which passed the state House of Representatives last month and awaits a vote in the Senate. The proposed legislation would prohibit use of the noisy vehicles on the state-owned trail along the Windham Depot and between Route 111 in Salem and Route 28 in Derry except when there is snow on the ground.

Gov. Craig Benson has indicated he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk, according to the bill's sponsor, state Rep. Anthony DiFruscia.

Complaints about rowdy behavior from some ATV riders prompted the push for the ban. State Sen. Frank Sapareto, a Derry Republican who represents the affected communities, has said "there's obviously a problem and it needs to be fixed."

But the town has the authority to regulate parking lots along the trail without additional legislation, through an existing administrative order of the state Department of Resources, Recreation, and Development, Samsel said.

"Even with (the bill), we need a comprehensive set of rules," Samsel said.