Land Erosion'Green lanes' are the characteristic unsurfaced, walled lanes, or tracks, over open moorland, which in some cases date back to medieval, Roman, pre-Roman or even prehistoric times. Many were monastic in origin, when great abbeys such as Fountains Abbey or Bolton Priory developed the system of outlying granges from the parent monastery. They are unsurfaced lanes and tracks, which create characteristic landscape features and run through, between and across higher Dales, sometimes parallel to modern roads which replaced them after various Turnpike Acts. Up to the 18th and early 19th century the green lanes were in regular use as packhorse ways or drove roads. Some carried the occasional wagon, cart or early horse drawn coaches. They generally fell out of use when valley turnpike roads and later railways came to carry most passenger and bulk good traffic across through the Pennines. Motorised vehicles used the more easily graded roads along the valleys, though many of the old roads were improved and tarmacadamed, and now form part of the network of motor roads in the Yorkshire Dales. They are called "green lanes" because many of them have, over the years, developed smooth, grassy surfaces, making them wonderful routes for walkers, cyclists and horseriders. Many are steeply graded, developed as they were for packhorses; tough, specially bred jaeger or hunting ponies, bred for their strength in carrying baskets or sacks of produce to and from the Dales. Nowadays they are hugely attractive for walkers, riders and cyclists, as quiet, traffic free routes, something that is especially important in at a time when most tarmac roads are crowded with motorised traffic. The legal status of green lanes is complex. Many are bridlepaths, only legally open to walkers, horse riders and cyclists. Some, however are byways, in effect old roads, and hence are open to all wheeled vehicular traffic, even though that traffic in bygone years would have been almost entirely horse drawn. A new generation of motorised users, off-road motorcyclists and 4x4 vehicle owners, have in recent years been attracted to these old unsurfaced roads. They are enjoyed as rough terrain "challenge" routes, and unfortunately the constant use by their vehicles has often resulted in the total destruction of the green surfaces, with many ancient roads such as Mastiles Lane or Cam High Road, a former Roman Road, reduced to deeply rutted ways, unsightly and almost impassable for pedestrians and cyclists. At the same time, the roar of motor cycle engines destroying the tracks is extremely intrusive for other visitors and local residents. Because of the influence of small but highly organised motor-sport pressure groups, who attract devotees and users from as far away as Belgium through their web sites, North Yorkshire County Council has been under constant pressure to resist any control of off-road motor vehicle use, even though the damage and nuisance is now a major problem in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale AONB. There are constant attempts to justify "vehicle rights" to use ancient packhorse ways, even though such "rights" if and when they did exist were for horse drawn vehicles and not powerful modern 4x4, SUV vehicles, or scrambler motor cycles. Many selfish users ignore the law and also ride on bridleways, footpaths and even open moorland with impunity, destroying vulnerable peat bogs where the land is often designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest or Special Conservation Area. What the Yorkshire Dales Society is doing about it?The Yorkshire Dales Society believes that such activity, destroying unique, historic features of the landscape and the peaceful enjoyment by many people of a nationally important conservation area, is entirely inappropriate in a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Society is a founding body of the Yorkshire Dales Green Lane Alliance, an organisation which brings together conservation, walking, cycling, horseracing, farming and local resident interests to actively campaign to reduce and remove this growing nuisance. The Alliance now works with GLEAM, the national body working at Government level to secure changes in legislation to deal with what in effect is a loophole in the law. The Society has given evidence to support Government moves for the prevention of this inappropriate abuse of the green lanes, which are features of archaeological history to be protected and nurtured. A major success, after several years campaigning has been to secure "Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders" on four high profile and badly damaged Green Lanes, albeit these have only been made "permanent" for a mere 12 month period. The Police have finally started to act with a number of arrests of illegal motorcyclists and four bikes owned by persistent offenders have been impounded and destroyed. Progress remains slow with no new Regulation Orders even in the planning stage, the County Council preferring to discuss palliative management measures, even where serious conflict and damage continues to occur and The Yorkshire Dales Society continues to campaign to protect the green lanes and ensure the profile of this issue is maintained. What do we do? |
