Off-road vehicles banned from park tracks in landmark project

Controversial traffic regulation orders have been imposed on 11 "green lanes" across the national park after the completion of a five-year environmental study.

The research has been overseen by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, which launched a Green Lanes Advisory Group to assess 52 routes that were used by motor vehicles.

Detailed studies involved looking at the archaeology and ecology surrounding the routes, as well as analysing their surfaces and condition.

A total of 30 routes were deemed to be at risk and the 11 traffic regulation orders have now been enforced to prevent recreational vehicles using the lanes and tracks.

A series of management measures, such as requesting one-way traffic to prevent vehicles causing erosion by climbing steep inclines, has also been introduced on the remaining 19 routes. And requests have been made for off-road groups and associations only to use some of the 19 at risk green lanes during the summer, to prevent damage during the wet winter months.

The national park authority's recreation manager, Mark Allum, said: "The authority realises that not being able to use these routes has a considerable impact on recreational motor vehicle users, and that these restrictions mean that opportunities to enjoy the national park's 'green lanes' in motor vehicles are now more limited.

"However, this has had to be balanced against the adverse impact of recreational vehicles on the natural beauty of the area and the increased enjoyment of the landscape that their restriction brings to other people."

The Yorkshire Dales became the first of the United Kingdom's national park authorities to enforce traffic regulation orders after new laws came in at the start of October 2007. The legislation means that the park authorities have taken on the responsibility for the traffic regulation orders from local highways agencies.

Off-road associations have branded the traffic regulation orders "excessive" and called for them to be revoked.

A campaign group won a High Court case last year when a judge overturned the bans of 4x4s and trailbikes on four green lanes.

The park authority originally made 13 traffic regulation orders to protect sensitive unsurfaced roads from use by recreational motor vehicles.

The Land Access and Recreation Association and two individuals began court proceedings in 2008 seeking the removal of eight of the 13 orders.

Following a two-day hearing at the High Court in Leeds last year, Judge John Behrens QC quashed orders on four of the eight routes due to a legal technicality.

But the national park authority has since reinstated one of the orders along Gorbeck Road between Langcliffe and Malham.

The authority's member champion for recreation management, Dr Malcolm Petyt, admitted the traffic regulation orders had proved extremely contentious with off-road associations.

But he stressed the legislation was necessary to protect green lanes as recreational motor vehicles were having a "significant impact on the natural beauty" of the national park.

The authority has spent more than 100,000 on repairs to some of the routes during the past three years, and the management plan will continue to be revised.

Dr Petyt added: "The combination of targeted repair work and some restrictions on use is fundamental to the success of the project.

"We continue to work with the North Yorkshire and Cumbria county councils, which are responsible, overall, for their ongoing maintenance, and the police where illegal or irresponsible use occurs."