WHY ARE WE PROTESTING IN THE PEAK NATIONAL PARK?
National Parks have two statutory purposes, one of which is to “promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public”
Well, not if you are a motorcyclist!
The Peak Park Authorities in Derbyshire, responding to pressure from NIMBYs who resent their tranquillity and perhaps, more importantly, the value of their houses being affected by what they see as hordes of hooligans riding the lanes around the Peak Park, are allocating vast sums of money to closing routes that have been legally ridden since the first motorbikes appeared over a century ago.
27 of these unsurfaced roads are classified as red routes which they will attempt to close with the sole purpose of effectively stopping trail riding in the Peak Park.
Did you know that only 30 kms, less than 2%, of the 2459 kms of all rights of way in the Peak Park are byways, and can be legally ridden on by motorcyclists and yet, in these difficult economic times, rather than welcoming trail riders, who bring money into the park to spend at cafes, pub and petrol stations, the Authority has budgeted £100,000 to stop us riding even that small amount.
A particular lane called Chapelgate is where the battle is being fought at the moment. This mostly rocky track runs through the stunning north Derbyshire landscape for about 3kms finishing at its north east end just short of the village of Edale.
Its legality has never been in doubt; part of the route was, at one time, even tarmaced.
Nor are the numbers even a major problem. Their own data loggers showed that, over a period 805 days, 2341 motorbikes used the lane, an average of 3 a day!! There were more on Sunday obviously but, even just taking that day, there was still only an average of 10 a day.
We have offered to talk, we have proposed compromises but the trouble is that Park Authorities aren’t democratically accountable and no-one is paying any attention. Their politically motivated and prejudiced actions will continue until the Park is only used in a way that they approve of.
So what can you do? Well, we know it is a Friday which means that a lot of people will be working, but the next meeting of the Park Authorities is the 24th May and the TRF are planning a large demonstration to make our feelings known.
Can you help spread the work or Can you get to their headquarters at Aldern House, Baslow Road, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1AE by 8.30 next Friday morning? It’s asking a lot but the more support we can get the bigger the news item and the more chance we have got of stopping the process.
See you there and thanks.
Mike Irving.
Communications Director-Trail Riders Fellowship
