Dales Signs Mark New 4x4 Control Laws

New signs will shortly be appearing on Yorkshire Dales bridleways and footpaths informing people that there are no public rights on them for recreational motor vehicles thanks to new legislation giving park authorities more control over vehicle use.

The Park Authority believes that 'the use of unsurfaced routes by recreational motor vehicles is an inappropriate activity within the National Park' and the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, which was given Royal Assent on March 30, has given it new powers to manage the use of recreational vehicles within the park.

It means that apart from some rare exceptions, it's now illegal to drive a recreational motor vehicle on any bridleway or footpath.

Mark Allum, the YDNPA's Access Project Officer, said: "More than 240kms of footpath and bridleway in the National Park were used by recreational motor vehicle drivers in the belief that they might have public motor vehicle rights.

"The Act removes the possibility of these rights on these routes, some of which are well-known like Occupation Road above Dentdale, the Craven Way between Dentdale and Ribblehead and routes over Carlton Moor in Coverdale."

To make users aware of the changes this legislation has brought about, the Authority will be putting up information signs on the routes and has uploaded details on to its website at www.yorkshiredales.org.uk.

Traffic Regulation Orders Too

The Authority has welcomed the new Act which also severely curtails the scope for adding further public rights of way for motor vehicles to the definitive map and, from October 2006, will allow National Park Authorities to impose Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to prohibit recreational motor vehicles from using green lanes, unsurfaced rights of way and county roads.

The Dales Park Authority has been working with North Yorkshire County Council in applying experimental TROs to four routes in the Dales over the past two years and says that the feedback from the experiment 'has clearly shown that the TROs are necessary and effective in managing this use'.

There's more specific information about the new NERC Act at www.yorkshiredales.org.uk including details of current Traffic Regulation Orders in the Park and specific details of footpaths and bridleways which have been used by motor vehicles but which have no motor vehicle rights now.