A
al Mossah
Guest
Last year on a bridleway near Corsham in Wiltshire I saw a notice concerning
an application to convert the bridleway to a BOAT (By-way open to all
traffic). I registered an objection to the application with the local
council. The applicant was an organisation known as the Trail Riders
Federation.
In the latest Private Eye there is an article about this innocuous-sounding
organisation. The text is included below. In case my OCR isn't too good,
I've scanned the article here.
http://www.mossclan.co.uk/temp/trail_riders_fellowship.jpg
Worth watching out for on a rural bridleway near you.
"Down on the Farm
A CURIOUS episode in Wiltshire again highlights the strangely intimate
relationship which exists between council officials and the lobby group
which campaign for country footpaths and bridleways to be made accessible to
vehicles such as motorcycles, quad bikes and off-road 4x4s.
In recent years the bikers have caused increasing havoc on hundreds of such
"green lanes", and their aim is to get as many as possible "upgraded" from
RUPPs (roads used as public paths) from which vehicles are barred, to BOATS
(byways open to all traffic).
When a Mr Bill Riley applied to Wiltshire County Council for vehicles to use
a narrow, leafy "green lane" in West Grimstead, the villagers who enjoy
walking down the footpath were horrified. 4x4s would inevitably tear off the
branches of protected trees, gouge out the steep Banks and chum the
footpath's surface to mud. But officials of the council's rights-of=way
committee nodded through Mr Riley's application without even a site visit.
It then turned out that Mr Riley had a rather closer association with these
officials than had been clear. It seemed he had often put in such
applications before, either privately or representing the Trail Riders
Fellowship, a body innocuously described on the council website as promoting
the "conservation of heritage of green lanes". On its own website, however,
the TRF rather more honestly admits that it is for people who "enjoy
exploring green lanes by motor cycle". Mr Riley had also, it seemed, been
consulted by the council on such issues many times.
When council representatives were challenged on their relationship with Mr
Riley, the rights of way manager merely claimed that he "assists the council
as a voluntary researcher". The council's chief executive, Dr Keith
Robinson, denied even this, stating unequivocally that "Mr Riley is not
consulted by the council". The chairman of the regulatory committee,
however, was rather more forthright: Mr Riley is "consulted on every
application".
At this point Dr Robinson backtracked, explaining that Mr Riley was not
consulted in his "private capacity" but only as representing the Trail
Riders Fellowship. He refused to clarify the position further. A bemused
councillor commented that Mr Riley seemed to, be acting as "batsman, bowler
and wicketkeeper" all at once.
So enraged were the villagers by all these evasions and contradictions that
they complained to the local government Standards Board, which replied that,
since the decision to upgrade the lane had been made by officials, not
councillors, it was not their business. The Audit Commission also declined
to get involved, saying that such matters were the responsibility of the
local government ombudsman. He replied that it was not in his remit either.
So they then wrote to the minister, Jim Knight, who also said it was the
responsibility of the ombudsman. When they went back yet again to the
ombudsman, quoting the minister, they were told the matter would now be
given "further consideration". Meanwhile, as one body of officials after
another passes the parcel, the villagers of West Grimstead grimly await the
day when the first convoy of 20 bikers makes its way down their green lane,
chewing up its grass and wild flowers into a sea of mud.
'Muckspreader'"
Private Eye, March 2006.
an application to convert the bridleway to a BOAT (By-way open to all
traffic). I registered an objection to the application with the local
council. The applicant was an organisation known as the Trail Riders
Federation.
In the latest Private Eye there is an article about this innocuous-sounding
organisation. The text is included below. In case my OCR isn't too good,
I've scanned the article here.
http://www.mossclan.co.uk/temp/trail_riders_fellowship.jpg
Worth watching out for on a rural bridleway near you.
"Down on the Farm
A CURIOUS episode in Wiltshire again highlights the strangely intimate
relationship which exists between council officials and the lobby group
which campaign for country footpaths and bridleways to be made accessible to
vehicles such as motorcycles, quad bikes and off-road 4x4s.
In recent years the bikers have caused increasing havoc on hundreds of such
"green lanes", and their aim is to get as many as possible "upgraded" from
RUPPs (roads used as public paths) from which vehicles are barred, to BOATS
(byways open to all traffic).
When a Mr Bill Riley applied to Wiltshire County Council for vehicles to use
a narrow, leafy "green lane" in West Grimstead, the villagers who enjoy
walking down the footpath were horrified. 4x4s would inevitably tear off the
branches of protected trees, gouge out the steep Banks and chum the
footpath's surface to mud. But officials of the council's rights-of=way
committee nodded through Mr Riley's application without even a site visit.
It then turned out that Mr Riley had a rather closer association with these
officials than had been clear. It seemed he had often put in such
applications before, either privately or representing the Trail Riders
Fellowship, a body innocuously described on the council website as promoting
the "conservation of heritage of green lanes". On its own website, however,
the TRF rather more honestly admits that it is for people who "enjoy
exploring green lanes by motor cycle". Mr Riley had also, it seemed, been
consulted by the council on such issues many times.
When council representatives were challenged on their relationship with Mr
Riley, the rights of way manager merely claimed that he "assists the council
as a voluntary researcher". The council's chief executive, Dr Keith
Robinson, denied even this, stating unequivocally that "Mr Riley is not
consulted by the council". The chairman of the regulatory committee,
however, was rather more forthright: Mr Riley is "consulted on every
application".
At this point Dr Robinson backtracked, explaining that Mr Riley was not
consulted in his "private capacity" but only as representing the Trail
Riders Fellowship. He refused to clarify the position further. A bemused
councillor commented that Mr Riley seemed to, be acting as "batsman, bowler
and wicketkeeper" all at once.
So enraged were the villagers by all these evasions and contradictions that
they complained to the local government Standards Board, which replied that,
since the decision to upgrade the lane had been made by officials, not
councillors, it was not their business. The Audit Commission also declined
to get involved, saying that such matters were the responsibility of the
local government ombudsman. He replied that it was not in his remit either.
So they then wrote to the minister, Jim Knight, who also said it was the
responsibility of the ombudsman. When they went back yet again to the
ombudsman, quoting the minister, they were told the matter would now be
given "further consideration". Meanwhile, as one body of officials after
another passes the parcel, the villagers of West Grimstead grimly await the
day when the first convoy of 20 bikers makes its way down their green lane,
chewing up its grass and wild flowers into a sea of mud.
'Muckspreader'"
Private Eye, March 2006.
