Green lane management

The use of motor vehicles on the ‘green lanes’ of the Yorkshire Dales is an emotive issue, and can be a source of complaint by residents and visitors alike.  Irresponsible and illegal use makes this situation worse.  The National Park Authority has worked with the Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF), county councils and conservation bodies to produce guidance for motorcycle riders.  The leaflet can be downloaded below:

• Trail riding in the Yorkshire Dales

Similar advice will apply to 4x4 drivers. The main points in the leaflet are:

• Use only motor vehicular rights of way. It is illegal to drive on footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways or over open land without the owners permission
• Make sure you and your vehicle are fully road legal
• Be courteous to other users and landowners
• Travel slowly and in small groups
• Keep to the defined track
• Exercise restraint in the use of unsurfaced routes in wet conditions
• Help protect wildlife, especially ground nesting birds

Which routes can motor vehicles use?

A Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) has proven rights for motor vehicles.  Details of BOATs in the Yorkshire Dales National Park can be downloaded below:

• Byways Open to All Traffic

Motor vehicle users also regularly use a number of unsurfaced unclassified roads (UURs) which have possible, but unproven, rights for motor vehicles.  Anyone requiring details concerning which routes are on the ‘list of streets' should contact the relevant county council. You could also look at www.trailwise.org.uk which shows routes in the National Park. Although we cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of this external website, it does appear to show the up-to-date status of most routes

Routes where rights have been extinguished

Apart, possibly, from some very rare exceptions the NERC Act means it is illegal to ride a motorcycle or other motor vehicle on anything which is recorded on the Definitive Map as a Bridleway or Footpath (up to date OS maps are the readily available nearest indication of this).  This also includes a number of routes that are recorded on both the definitive map and the ‘list of streets’ and are sometimes known as dual status routes.

The table below gives details of footpaths and bridleways and ‘dual status’ routes that were used by motor vehicles prior to the NERC Act in the belief that they might have motor vehicular rights.  The NERC Act extinguishes the possibility of motor vehicular rights on these footpaths and bridleways.  There have been a number of applications received by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to upgrade footpaths and bridleways to Byways Open to All Traffic (BOATs).  However, for all these applications it is believed that the highest status they will result in is a Resticted Byway - that is a route which can be used only by foot, cycle, horse, or horse and carraige, but not by recreational motor vehicles.

• Routes where rights have been extinguished

The NERC Act contains five exemptions to extinguishment of mechanically propelled vehicular rights. The onus is on the user to prove that rights should not be extinguished, based on one or more of the exemptions. Until then, mechanically propelled vehicular rights remain extinguished.

If you require more detailed information please contact the Authority's Definitive Map Team on 0300 456 0030.

Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs)

There are currently restrictions in place on a number of routes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which are either for management reasons or for essential maintenance work. You can download a copy of the current restrictions below.

• Current Traffic Regulation Orders in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

There may also be proposed TROs. These are available from the Traffic Regulation Orders page.

To find out more about Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority policies relating to green lane management and the powers that we now have to make Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs), visit our Green lane policies, Green lanes management framework and TRO process pages.

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