Off road vehicles and green lanes in Yorkshire Dales national park
July 2009
In a bid to stop damage caused by so called 'leisure vehicles', the Yorkshire National Park Authority had imposed restrictions on the use of motorised vehicles on a number of routes. These 'green lanes' are ancient unsurfaced public roads and remain extremely popular with people walking in the Yorkshire Dales.
In a surprising decision, the High Court has recently (June 2009) overturned the limitations place on four of these routes. The appeal, bought by the Land Access Recreation Association (LARA) and two individuals, was started in July 2008 and will affect the routes below:
- Gorbeck Road, part of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail, currently a Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT)
- Stockdale Lane, which is currently designated as a Bridleway
- Arncliffe Cote, curently part Bridleway, part BOAT
- Harber Scar Lane, currently part Bridleway
Dr Michael Bartholomew, who is chairman of the Yorkshire Dales Local Access Forum and a member of the National park's Consultative group on Green lanes said:
"The judge’s decision to quash four TROs turned on a small, but decisive point of law.
"He held that the YDNPA’s decision-making was flawed by a failure to balance the various duties laid on it by section 122 of the Road Traffic Act 1984.
"The judge’s ruling is unlikely to be challengeable. However, the case is distinctly odd, for although the TROs on four green lanes have been quashed, it will almost certainly turn out to be the case that, on other grounds, three of the four have no motor vehicular rights on them anyway.
So there still may be some grounds for hope that further damage to these Green Lanes can be avoided. Because of the environmental sensitivity of these routes, the National Park Authority is asking for voluntary restraint from the users of recreational motor vehicles.
For the full story see here
“Off roading where it damages dry stone walls, banks, trres and turns green lanes into rutted swamps is not in keeping with a National Park. Off roaders (and motorbike scramblers) should be kept to private land outside NP's. However, if - legally - they were to use NP land in a responsible way I wouldnt object. Lets see off roaders get involved in conservation, repairing any damage done, maybe being limited to permitted off road clubs using the lanes or permitted individual vehicles and building links with other users such as walkers, farmers etc then maybe compromise can be met.”
Jeremy Bolwell, Ludlow
“Off road vehicles were originally designed for a purpose (work related). These ugly monsters should not be allowed to rip our precious countryside to pieces, solely for the benefit of some misfit, with no friends, no regard for other people and no care for the disappearing world. KEEP OFF ROAD VEHICLES ON FARMLAND WHERE THEY BELONG.”
Ron Woodbridge, Northampton
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