Of course I am not in principle against legal riders or drivers on legal bikes, quads, 4by4s being driven on legal highways, but just because a thing is legal does not make it always right and when the majority of people realise this the law is changed. Many examples of this spring to mind, child labour, votes for women, persecution of ethnic minorities to give just a few. The tirade against ¨geriatric pensioners¨ of which I am one and in time most members of HU will be also become, wishing for their death in order for the few to enjoy their ¨legal¨ persuits does not endear them to the general population so when the majority etc. etc.
I´m afraid I must express a degree of ignorance if not indiference to the problems being experienced by bikers in the low countries, however, your comments about the banning of the use by mechanised vehicles in Scotland for leisure purposes in particular on the old unpaved drove and military roads was in the main because of the damage and subsequent erosion of the tracks and adjacent sections of land caused by such vehicles. I have driven 4 by 4 vehicles on these roads many times in what was my line of work and have seen at first hand the result of allowing untrained and and in many cases uninhibited drivers and riders to use these roads regardless of the cost to the land. Now, many, usually absentee landlords, charge big money for adventure thrill seekers to blast around their land in or on many types of vehicles so the degredation of land goes on but it is limited. These roads were constructed not for mechanised vehicles but for animal droving, carts and people marching or walking and as such are quite fragile. Here in Chile roads such as the C.Austral are constructed to take everything on foot, hoof, or wheel and are more robust however, even they get damaged by overenthusiastic, usually drivers, after rains with the resultant carving up of the surface, witness the state of some sections of Ruta 40 in Argentina.

In conclusion, I feel that tirade is starting to take over from debate which is usually the mark of desperation on the part of those tirading, if there is such a word, so how about letting a bit of peace and good will to all creep in, including those geriatric pensioners after all, it is nearly xmas.

p.s. Keep on paying the taxes, I love my pension.

Ride safe and quietly.

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Mike
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Mike is riding the twisty road in the sky