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Recently, on my return from a field trip in Coniston Fells, I came across an ITV News reporter and cameraman filming down Walna Scar Road. Walna Scar does not seem at first glance the most newsworthy or even the most interesting place to film, although it emerged that the reason for her presence was the fact that the road had been closed to motorized traffic that very morning.

I was under the impression that this road was only open to walkers, cyclists and riders, but this, until that morning, was not the case. In fact, there have been several court disputes to determine the status of Walna Scar and similar actions are taking place over Garburn Pass in East Lakes.

At first glance, you might be wondering who would want to drive on tracks like these, as doing so would certainly damage the average car with no guarantee of passing over to the other side. However, it seems that companies offering off-road driving experiences are the main opponents to traffic-free status and I can see their side of the argument: they need a place to be able to offer their services, as do those offering off-road motorcycles and quads. excursions.

This leads to a debate similar to the one over the 10-knot speed limit imposed on Windermere in 2005, which effectively banished motor boats and water skiers from the lake. They weren’t banned as such, but 10 knots (less than 12 mph) is insufficient speed for water skiing or speedboat fun, so they went elsewhere. The ban was unpopular with water sports enthusiasts, but at the end of the day, some of their activities were a danger to other users of the lake.

My personal opinion in favor of the ban is based on the fact that if I walk or cycle this track, I am not endangering other users, causing distress to livestock or wildlife, or inflicting an undue amount of damage to the track itself. As soon as one drives a motor vehicle here, this would not be the case. Aside from the physical danger to others, there is the element of noise to consider. Our major roads and cities are riddled with traffic noise and pollution, and we come to places like Lakeland Fells to escape things like the roar of engines.

I don’t pretend to have an answer that will keep everyone here happy, which is why the case is going through the courts, but the Forestry Commission operates a good system on its forest roads. The routes are closed to private motorized traffic, but are open for use by walkers, cyclists and, as far as I know, horsemen, but the Forestry Commission’s own logging vehicles use the roads to access the wood and must be yielded to them by other users. the step if found. In the case of Walna Scar and other disputed routes, I would suggest a similar arrangement whereby farmers and emergency services can use the road, in addition to the quarry vehicles in the case of Walna Scar, but with the routes closed. to private motorized traffic.

You may not agree with the motorized users here, but I have at least outlined their point of view. For legal arguments that I will not attempt to explain, I placed a link at the end of this article to GLEAM, which is a lobby group campaigning through the legal system to keep motorized vehicles off our green lanes and roads, preserving them as a safe place for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

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