Government urged to take action to prevent devastation by vehicles in countryside [10 December 2003]

THE RAMBLERS' Association is asking the Government to take immediate and strong action to prevent an historical loophole in the law from destroying some of our most environmentally sensitive and beautiful countryside.

Alun Michael MP, Minister for Rural Affairs, has published a consultation paper on the issue of recreational motor vehicles (4x4s, trail and quad bikes) using tracks in the countryside, and in particular on the claiming of such routes as Byways Open to All Traffic. Due to a legal anomaly, any right of way established as a carriageway in the days of the horse and cart can be legally claimed as having full vehicular rights.

The RA, along with a broad coalition of environmental, wildlife, disability, farming and land owning groups, believes that this is not only inappropriate, but that byways of great importance are being irrevocably damaged by off-roading. Many of these routes are ancient in origin, some are Roman roads or Neolithic trackways of archaeological significance, while the banks and hedges that bound many of them form valuable habitats for wildlife.

The incongruous use of these ways by recreational motor vehicles not only shatters the peaceful enjoyment of the countryside for those seeking to escape roads that carry ever increasing volumes of traffic, they can cause extensive damage to the surface of the tracks and bring fumes, noise and increased danger to walkers, horse riders and cyclists into the heart of the countryside.

Janet Davis, Head of Footpaths Policy at the RA, said, "We are not campaigning for a ban on off-road vehicles, but for a ban on their use on rights of way that were simply never intended for this type of use. The upsurge in use of green lanes by off-roaders makes it ever more urgent that action is taken as quickly as possible. We hope the government has been listening to the increasing number of people and organisations concerned by the use of these lanes by recreational vehicles, and are intending to take decisive action to ensure their protected."

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