Trail riders help national park staff with the repairs. Photo: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
A group of motorcyclists have helped repair a stretch of Roman road in a national park, which was damaged by last winter’s snow and ice.
The track, near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales, is a byway open to motor traffic, but had become rutted and difficult to use.
Members of the Teesside & North Yorkshire Trail Riders Fellowship helped Yorkshire Dales national park rangers repair the surface of a section of the route, which links Ingleton with the Roman fort at Bainbridge in Wensleydale.
The riders helped rangers lay 120 tons of aggregate and compact it into 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 Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’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.”
Mick Kenwrick
26 July 2011Sorry but it was the trail riders that caused most of the damage in the first place. Just because a few have now decided to help put right that damage shouldn't give them all a carte blanche to continue causing more damage.
I'm fed up of having to dodge these guys when out walking. Their bikes chew up the lanes and paths throwing stones up into the faces of walkers. I nearly got hit in the eyes!
Green Lanes were never meant for motorised vehicles and they should be banned.
Chris
26 July 2011Sorry Mick, I can't agree. Many of the old roads that are now unclassified county roads or Byways Open to All Traffic were built for transport of goods and moving of animals, and mail coaches etc in many cases. They certainly weren't designed for ramblers. The wagons, carts etc they were designed for all had wooden or iron shod wheels and cattle and horses had hooves which cut up the lanes far more than modern bike or 4x4 tyres. Anyway, how come it's ok for farmers to use Land Rovers and Quad Bikes, but not ok for recreational motorists to do the same?
If you look at old pictures/paintings of roads hundreds of years ago, they were often heavily rutted and often muddy when it rained. This is how holloways developed, quite naturally.
Local people were enlisted as lengthsmen to help keep the roads repaired.
Whilst many of the old roads got sprayed with tarmac at some stage, many didn't because although they were public routes they were more lightly used, or served few dwellings.
These old unsurfaced roads are no different from the Great North Road and the A6 etc., which originated as horse and cart routes, or roman roads for chariots, marching troops etc.
So no, we shouldn't ban vehicles from these roads, as they have always had the right to use roads like this.
If pedestrians wish to avoid vehicles, they should use the myriad of footpaths and bridleways around the country, and leave the small percentage of roads for their traffic.
Alan Gilmore
26 July 2011Mick Kenwrick, you don’t have a clue of how the damage is done to these un-surfaced roads.
The propaganda put out by the “anti-vehicle” groups is based mainly on this one big lie.
However the Dales authority know that most of the damage is called by erosion, mainly water.
Ed
26 July 2011Mick, I assuming that you know that only 3% of "off-road routes" are for vehicles. So to you it makes sense to ban the last 3% for trail riders? Why not ban the 3% to ramblers. That still leaves you with 97% to do your knitting on!!!
It's called having FUN LEGALLY! Ever wonder why more and more of the young generation turn to illegal fun? It's because there's not much legal fun left to do. (and no I don't find walking or knitting fun) that's why I have a set of nuts and an engine and still respect other people's rights to do what they want.
Rant over
Colin
26 July 2011Out of the hundreds of times I've been out walking I reckon I've encountered a motorbike maybe once. Maybe I'm concentrating too much on my knitting...
Dave Hay
28 July 2011Mick Kenwrick - typically uninformed and predjudiced comments . Why is it that the rights of trail riders always seem to gravitate towards the bottom of the 'rights pile' when these issues are discussed or considered...its a simple question of 'our gang is bigger than yours so we can make more noise.' Try overlaying this principle on any other aspect of modern day life, particularly those involiving ethnicity or religion, and we all know how these biased comments would be viewed by the authorities.
Full marks to Alan and Ed above for identifying some real and tangible issues...
Trail riding is a phenomenon that wont go away, so don't make it unsustainable by closing legal lanes...it will only serve to encourage illegal riding in other areas and none of us want to see that.
A Piglit
31 July 2011Re Mick K's comments
There's similar snobbery and disinformation afoot in the Peak District mainly from the "Friends of the Peak District". The danger is that once you start having a go at one set of legitimate trial users on environmental grounds then who's next? Lets not forget who is responsible for most of the hideous erosion on the most popular hills - yup, it's walkers!