Traffic Regulation Orders in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
August 2008
One of the welcome aspects of the NERC Act is the provision that gives National Park Authorities their own powers to make Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs). Hitherto, these powers were reserved to the local Highway Authority. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is the first, so far as we know, to have made use of its new powers. Last year, it drew up a list of all the green lanes in the national park that escaped the clutches of the NERC Act, and which, as a consequence, either still have, or may have, vehicular rights. There are just over 100 such routes on the list. Next, officers of the Authority selected from the full list a group of about 20 that are particularly sensitive to use by motor vehicles, and which have especially high landscape and amenity value to the non-motorised public. A rigorous programme of surveys of these vulnerable routes was undertaken.
Then, an extensive series of consultations was conducted. An advisory group, including motorcycle and 4x4 users, was set up. The views of the Local Access Forum, the general public and interested organizations were sought. Opposition to the imposition of full TROs came, as might be expected, exclusively from vehicle users. But their opposition was countered, at a rate of more than three to one, by responses from a wide range of Dales opinion that wanted TROs to be imposed. Support for TROs came from parish councils, from farmers, from individual cyclists, and from many more citizens and organisations. The results of these consultations were presented at two successive meetings of the Authority’s Access Committee. At its meeting on 16 April, the Access Committee resolved to make full, 24-hour, 7 days a week TROs on eight routes.
The Committee also resolved to push a further five green lanes forward to the next stage of public consultation. Responses to this consultation were 5 to 1 in favour of TROs. This consultation completed, TROs were made on these five routes on 3 August.
The Park Authority has followed the procedures laid down by the NERC Act with exemplary thoroughness. But disgruntled off-roaders will scrutinise every stage in this long-drawn-out process in the hope of finding a loophole big enough to admit a legal challenge of some sort. Indeed, LARA, the umbrella organisation for all off-roading organisations, is taking the Park Authority to the High Court for Judicial Review over these TROs. No date has yet been set for the hearing, and it is not even known what will be the precise grounds for the Judicial Review.
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August 2008
One of the welcome aspects of the NERC Act is the provision that gives National Park Authorities their own powers to make Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs). Hitherto, these powers were reserved to the local Highway Authority. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is the first, so far as we know, to have made use of its new powers. Last year, it drew up a list of all the green lanes in the national park that escaped the clutches of the NERC Act, and which, as a consequence, either still have, or may have, vehicular rights. There are just over 100 such routes on the list. Next, officers of the Authority selected from the full list a group of about 20 that are particularly sensitive to use by motor vehicles, and which have especially high landscape and amenity value to the non-motorised public. A rigorous programme of surveys of these vulnerable routes was undertaken.
Then, an extensive series of consultations was conducted. An advisory group, including motorcycle and 4x4 users, was set up. The views of the Local Access Forum, the general public and interested organizations were sought. Opposition to the imposition of full TROs came, as might be expected, exclusively from vehicle users. But their opposition was countered, at a rate of more than three to one, by responses from a wide range of Dales opinion that wanted TROs to be imposed. Support for TROs came from parish councils, from farmers, from individual cyclists, and from many more citizens and organisations. The results of these consultations were presented at two successive meetings of the Authority’s Access Committee. At its meeting on 16 April, the Access Committee resolved to make full, 24-hour, 7 days a week TROs on eight routes.
The Committee also resolved to push a further five green lanes forward to the next stage of public consultation. Responses to this consultation were 5 to 1 in favour of TROs. This consultation completed, TROs were made on these five routes on 3 August.
The Park Authority has followed the procedures laid down by the NERC Act with exemplary thoroughness. But disgruntled off-roaders will scrutinise every stage in this long-drawn-out process in the hope of finding a loophole big enough to admit a legal challenge of some sort. Indeed, LARA, the umbrella organisation for all off-roading organisations, is taking the Park Authority to the High Court for Judicial Review over these TROs. No date has yet been set for the hearing, and it is not even known what will be the precise grounds for the Judicial Review.
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