MP & ex farmer seeks to make all by-ways private drives fo..

Lifted from Dorset Echo

MP seeks byways ban for vehicles
by Peter Hawkins


Thursday 18 March 2004

MOTOR vehicles could soon be banned from all byways if a bill proposed by a
Dorset MP is passed.

MP Robert Walter wants to close a legal loophole that allows off-road
vehicles to use unsurfaced roads in the countryside.

The Conservative MP will introduce a bill to the House of Commons on March
24 under the 'ten minute rule' procedure that allows MPs to propose
legislation individually.

Mr Walter said: "Those of us who are walkers, hikers or horse riders are
continually horrified at the desecration and damage caused to some of our
byways by the inappropriate and unsustainable use of those byways by
recreational motor vehicles.

These unsurfaced roads are known as 'by-ways open to all traffic' (BOATS) or
'green lanes' and the law allows motor vehicles such as 4x4s, motorbikes and
quad-bikes to use them.

Mr Walter added: "None of Dorset's byways are designated and there are a
number of applications for BOATS on the basis that old vehicles like horse
and carts have used the road. At the moment the county council does not have
the power to say it will be open to traffic without engines, it has to
accept all vehicles."

The bill he will propose after Prime Minister's question time is based on a
proposal from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which
has just finished a consultation exercise on the subject.

It will enable councils to ban vehicles with engines but allow exceptions
for farmers or those who need the roads to access houses.

Mr Walter said that recreational use of off-road vehicles was fine 'in the
right places' but not on tracks used by walkers and riders.

The Green Lane Assoc-iation is a national group dedicated to protecting
vehicle rights and safe driving.

Spokesman Julian Poulter said: "Less than four per cent of the rights of way
network is accessible to vehicles and there is no evidence of widespread and
systematic damage to their infra-structure."

Lifted From - Register of Members' Interests

WALTER, Robert (North Dorset)
1. Remunerated directorships
Silver Apex Films Ltd.
8. Land and Property
Residential investment property in London.
Farmland in Devon.


Slight conflict of interest here maybe?

Hardly surprising he feels that only farmers vehicles should be the only
vehicles allowed to continue damaging our neglected footpaths, bridleways
and by-ways!!!

My feeling is that farmers must be stopped from using footpaths and
bridleways on their land that are not designated as having vehicular rights
and if a ban is to be imposed on members of the public in 4x4s (or cars as
in my case) using by-ways then it should cover farmers and landowners as
well. The bloody mess they create is clearly evident along farm tracks which
are designated footpaths or bridleways (not by-ways) and are on their land
or they have the landowners permission to use a vehicle over them!

These lot just want more of our ROW network re-classified so they have more
of it to use as their private driveways! It won't improve the conditions for
walkers underfoot one tiny bit.