I like to think I’m a pretty tolerant guy and, with political leanings that some would class as bleeding heart liberal, the notion of banning things never sits well with me. Despite being a non-smoker, loving the fact you can spend an evening in a pub now without coming home stinking like an ashtray and well aware that not being forced to breathe other peoples’ smoke is a definite plus for my health, my wishy-washy liberal side still struggled with the ban. Despite this, I’m now adamant that it’s time for the National Parks to man up and ban recreational motorised off-roading outright.
The 4x4’s are bad enough and have ruined several By-Ways for other users in my home patch of the Dark Peak and my original home of the chalk downs of Wiltshire. Spewing out diesel fumes, getting stuck behind a line of these crawling monsters can make a pleasant run or ride a frustrating, noisy and noxious experience. 4x4’s at least are slow moving and limited as to where they can go, my real beef is with trail motorcycles.
The fact that they’re lighter and faster than a 4x4 means that the temptation to wander off legal By-Ways, and be able to make a speedy getaway if caught, seems irresistible to bikers in my part of the world. I regularly see motorcycles popping 100% illegally up to the top of South Head, a local hill that overlooks Kinder with fragile grass flanks, and gouging out scars of turf with their high revving engines. Even when they do stick to legal routes, the angry swarm of bees two-stroke whine is totally incongruous with almost every other activity that goes on in the Peak Park, you can see significant erosion in action as they pass and watch out for the barrage of stones and debris kicked up by their back wheels.
There are plenty of disused quarries and purpose built off-roading centres, so it’s not as if a ban in the National Parks would be the death of their pastime. I’ve taken part in 4x4 skills days at one of these centres, really enjoyed them, am sure that the driving and obstacles were far more exciting and challenging than By-Way bashing and I wasn’t making a right of way impassable for horse riders, mountain bikers or walkers.
I found the following definition of a National Park:
“A scenic or historically important area of countryside protected by the government for the enjoyment of the general public and the preservation of wildlife.”
I can’t see how allowing access for recreation motorised vehicles can ever fall within the remits of this definition.
What provoked this rant was the press release below. Personally, I found it laughable and couldn’t quite believe that Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority couldn’t see the irony in releasing it. A good analogy would be congratulating an arsonist for re-building a house they’d burned down. “Well done, but you really shouldn’t have done it in the first place and you’re going to get those matches out again aren’t you?”
Maybe I’m being overly harsh and cynical, what do you think?
Motorcyclists make tracks in the National Park
Grassington, 26 July, 2011.
Trail motorcyclists have been helping repair a section of Roman road in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Members of the Teesside & North Yorkshire Trail Riders Fellowship helped National Park Authority Rangers repair the surface of the byway near Hawes after it suffered frost damage during the prolonged freeze and snowfall last winter.
As a result, the road, which linked Ingleton to the Roman fort at Bainbridge, had become rutted and difficult to use.
The trail riders helped the Rangers lay 120 tons of aggregate and then compact it to consolidate the surface.
National Park Authority Area Ranger Matt Neale said: “The help from the Trail Riders Fellowship has been invaluable as we had a lot of stone to shift.
“More than 20 volunteers helped resurface the most damaged sections of this route – it’s been a successful couple of days work. Trail motorcyclists have received a lot of negative press over the last few years, but now some responsible riders have stepped forward to help us repair routes that they regularly ride ''
Teesside & North Yorkshire TRF spokesman Leo Crone said: “The TRF welcomes the opportunity to assist in the maintenance of the vehicular network of green lanes in the National Park’s area – we have always tried to be part of the solution rather than the problem of recreational vehicles in the countryside.
“There are plans to hold another working weekend for TRF members later this year, where other routes in the National Park that get legally used by vehicles will be repaired. Members should keep an eye on the National Forum for details.”
Andrew Colley, the YDNPA’s Member Champion for the Natural Environment. said:
“This just shows the good work that can be achieved by working together with all users of the public rights of way for the benefit of everyone and the National Park.”
