BBC 4 Tonight
 

I will be interested to see how the BBC edit this tonight.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016psp6



Episode 2 of 3

Duration: 1 hour
The National Parks are Britain's most treasured landscapes, but they are increasingly becoming battlefields. They were designated 60 years ago as places for EVERYONE , but is that still the case? In this series, the award-winning filmmaker Richard Macer spent a year amid conflicts in three different parks, on a journey to discover who they are really for.
In each park the stories are very different, but there is something that unites them all - fiercely divided communities who are prepared to fight in order to preserve their right to enjoy the countryside. For each film Macer has secured access to the National Park Authority - an organisation which looks after the landscapes and decides upon planning matters. In all these stories the Park Authorities have a key role to play in trying to find amicable solutions to the problems which confront them.
A war is breaking out in the charming villages of the Peak District, with walkers, horseriders and residents angry at 4x4 drivers and trailbikers motoring up and down the green lanes for pleasure. So an 80-year-old retired primary school teacher decides to launch a campaign to get the motorists banned from a lane in her village of Great Longstone. Over the next few months the campaign snowballs and more and more villages decide they've had enough of the off-roaders on their lanes.
Macer filmed for over a year in the Peak District and was granted exclusive access to the inner workings of how the Park is run. Will the Peak District Park Authority bow down to public pressure or will it side with the off-roaders? < Show less

The National Parks are Britain's most treasured landscapes, but they are increasingly becoming battlefields. They were designated 60 years ago as places for everyone, but is that still the case? In this series, the award-winning filmmaker Richard Macer spent a year amid conflicts in three different parks, on a journey ...> Show more

So an 80-year-old retired primary school teacher decides to launch a campaign to get the motorists banned from a lane in her village of Great Longstone.
Hopefully she will fall off her perch very soon

I cant say I'm 100% against her.
I enjoy green laneing and I don't believe I cause much damage but some like to create rooster tails of mud all the time and that does cause damage.
The 4x4 brigade seem to be much worse at this. The aim seems to be who can do it the fastest and all that wheel spin digs ruts. I have seen groups of 6-8 "jeeps" doing this and they do leave a trail of destruction.

How would you fancy it in YOUR lane?

The other thing is that it has become much more popular in recent years and the UK is such a piddly small place that the lanes are getting very over used.

Maybe it needs dedicated land for it in the UK.

John

We Do have...
Footpaths ...for walking on
Green Lanes for 4x4 and trail bikes.

You will aways get a few p5icks that drive or ride without respect, as you get some walkers leaving rubbish pushed into drystone walls, and letting their dogs run wild around live stock.

No One group is perfect. But it seems to me that some folk want it all there own way :ban:

Dazzer

Probably designed for a horse and cart though :innocent:

John

Have you thought about a name change...RedSocks would suit :rofl:

{ it's a nick name for Ramblers }

I know, lets close loads of the lanes available, that'll make the remaining ones much less used.doh

It's such a tough issue.

I love walking and I love trail riding...

I would hate being run down by a load of off-roaders, bikes or cars, so I understand their point but it does seem to be a load of boring old nimbys with nothing else to do with their retirement but have a rant.

The 4x4's by far do the most damage but our bikes are much faster and do terrorise people walking. I've had bikers fly past me and almost hit me and as a biker I can almost just roll my eyes but you can just imagine the hernia it gives to walkers...

I don't think any walker should have to avoid a green lane but like dazza says, the parks are meant to be for EVERYONE.

It gave me a better understanding of how hard it is for the NP to deal with all this.

I think green lanes are really meant for horses ....... :-)

As much as I respect 1 groups so called "rights" over another, the paths of the peaks and dales were *not* meant for 4x4 or bike riding. I'm not even sure I find push bike riding acceptable.

Green lanes are for horses, cattle etc. Routes for farmers etc.

ILets face it, the only reason a 4x4 or bike goes there is to find the rough bits and go through them, making them worse.

There are sections of the Berwyns that are now nearly un-walkable due to the deep ruts cut into the, by off road vehicles.

There is only 1 simple easy solution IMO, and it is not to ban vehicles or a group of people.

For the sake of the environment, just make the national parks "zero emission zones".

Job done.

:-)

Well said Bruce, sadly I do think that many of the weekend bikers sans silencers are very selfish people and 1 over reving biker, quad biker or 4+4 driver has a much greater effect on the countryside and the people/animals therein than a walker no matter how irresponsable that walker might be. Mechanical things rip up land and cause mud baths in lanes and right of ways which were designed for a completely different type of user. In addition, the noise and smell they create pollutes a very large area. Do what happens in other places, use an old polluted brown field site and let them play on that, they can create all of the riding/driving challenges they wish and offend no-one if they fit silencers. Ride safe,

Bruce P and Maja, Whats it like to be so 'self righteous'?

Arguing on who has the right gets nobody anywhere..

What are the possible solutions ??

Personally I think that there should be dedicated days that off-roaders are allowed to use the green lanes. Tuesdays and Sundays for example.

That way there are plenty of days in the week for the ramblers to enjoy their retirement in total peace and if they chose to use the lanes on the motorised days, then it's really their own choice.

There needs to be a compromise. Sadly, there are too many people for this country and anything green is quickly being built over or developed.

The problem is only going to get worse. If you blanket ban the bikes and cars they will only find illegal places to ride where people really will get hurt.

WTF, There are SEVEN days in a week so no compromise, BOATS that they are on about are OPEN to ALL traffic 24/7, they either put up with it or move.