Off
road controversy | Off
road pressure - time to close the flood gates? |
Trail bikes
and 4x4s are increasingly popular but a new law could severely curtail the activities
of off roaders in parts of the South West. Off roading is controversial
because some people believe it is an inappropriate activity for the countryside.
They say its noisy and can damage fragile landscapes. In the Quantocks
- an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Somerset - there is huge pressure on
the landscape from users of all sorts. The area is hugely popular with
walkers, mountain bikers, off roaders, trail bikers, quad bikes and horse riders. The
Quantocks are criss-crossed by a network of trails called RUPPS - Roads Used as
Public Paths. Somerset is unusual in still having tracks classified in
this way. Many other local authorities changed the classification of these
routes long ago into for example, bridleways or footpaths. Under new legislation
the government is going to downgrade every RUPP to a "restricted byway"
- in other words traffic will be barred. | Trail
bikers - outdoor adventure or damaging the countryside? |
The
move has infuriated local trail bikers and hunt followers who also use the RUPPs
and they plan to appeal. But the Quantocks Rangers say the landscape - which
is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest - is being badly damaged and eroded
by the increasing amount of traffic using the hills.
Meanwhile in Cornwall,
existing legislation is failing to curb the activities of bikers using an old
mining site to practice stunts. Wheal Maid, near Redruth, is owned by
the Parish Council which says its impossible to stop bikers trespassing - because
they're too fast to catch! Local residents say the noise and dust created
by the bikers make their lives a misery. The bikers say they were using
the site long before the complaining residents moved into the area.
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