Off Road, Off Limits: stance against off-road bikes

[Russ]

You're welcome Dave, a lot of the tracks in and around the Peak District have recently been restricted or downgraded, people using them cannot be sure what status they are without searching thro' the definitive maps.

Somebody blocked the Bottoms Hall track off with huge boulders for a while some years ago.

[Dave]

That's a useful link Russ - thanks for that.  And yes, it shows the Bottoms Hall - Linnet Clough track as a BOAT, which is news to me. 

[Russ]

According to the OS map Bottoms hall to linnet clough is a byway open to all traffic (BOAT)
http://www.rowmaps.com/showmap.php?place=Marple&map=OS&lat=53.3933&lon=2.06833&lonew=W

I have seen 4x4's on both tracks mentioned above & even cars following their sat-navs.

The track from Strines station to the Fox is now a restricted byway, probably due to the Tesco waggon that went up & got stuck, rescued by the RAC.

[Dave]

I have been walking the hills around Marple & throughout the Peak District for the past 40 years & never seen Motorbikes being used illegally

Blimey!

the only motor bikes ever using the route past Roman Lakes towards Strines were the Police. I spent four or five spells of five or six hours on sunny days reading a book at the side of Lakes Road just past Roman Bridge and I never came across one illegal user.

In the past two weeks I have personally seen motorbikes on the bridleway near the Roman Bridge, and on another bridleway between Bottoms Hall and Linnet Clough. 

[Russ]

The main problem is some people can't read a map & distinguish what is a byway & what is a bridleway or even a footpath. Some byways have restrictions on them eg the one from Strines station up to the Fox is now a restricted byway, while others are open to all traffic ie BOAT's.

I have been walking the hills around Marple & throughout the Peak District for the past 40 years & never seen Motorbikes being used illegally although I have seen plenty being used legitimately on legal unpaved roads of which there are plenty in our locality.

The scrotes riding the stolen bikes will be doing so where they can show off, not out in the countryside. If you see them, report them & maybe some poor soul will get his bike back, there's been an awful lot stolen in the Marple area, I am aware of 6 thefts and several attempted thefts.

Check out this map for the legality of the tracks in the area. We wouldn't want any vigilante patrols harassing legitimate motorcyclists would we?
http://www.trailwise.org.uk/gmaps/gmap.htm

[marplerambler]

I have a huge bee in my bonnet about this subject having been employed before retirement as a Public Rights of Way Officer in Stockport and now in a voluntary role as Ramblers Footpath Officer in Tameside but I really think that there has been a very significant decline in the number of motorbikes on public rights of way. I live adjacent to the Middlewood Way: I have only heard one motor bike during the last couple of years.

Lakes Road used to be a favourite spot for motor bikes. On Monday mornings I would sometimes get perhaps a dozen telephone calls at work from people who heard motor bikes in the valley and would have to explain that  visitor access to Roman Lakes was just as legitimate by motor bike as it was by motor vehicle and this is what happened: the bikers would visit Roman Lakes to legitimise their usage of Lakes Road to and from Marple Bridge or use their motor bikes to transport their fishing gear. I would lie in wait on Saturdays on Sundays (in my own time I hasten to add), camera in hand further up Lakes Road and lo and behold the Police would turn up on their motor bikes checking for illegal usage a bit later on (I would speak to the police and note the time the police visited) and this would generate even more calls of complaint to the Council from people who did not realise that the motor bikes were the police. Sad as it may sound I did this for three or four days on Saturdays and Sundays hoping to collar the illegal users. Despite a very large number of calls of complaint to the council the only motor bikes ever using the route past Roman Lakes towards Strines were the Police. I spent four or five spells of five or six hours on sunny days reading a book at the side of Lakes Road just past Roman Bridge and I never came across one illegal user. Admittedly this was about five years ago but I do a lot of walking and my feeling is that the number of motor bikes on public rights of way has reduced considerably.

[Dave]

I see these guys all the time when I'm walking the dog.  There's no reason to believe they are not the owners of the bikes.  I sometimes try to take the number, but these bikes generally have just one number plate, on the back, very small and (of course) conveniently covered with mud!

[Russ]

Some action at last, or is it?

Motorcycles ridden off road illegally eg on other than BOAT's or RUPPS, are very likely to be stolen & ridden by the young scrotes that have stolen them. They will likely not have licences, never mind insurance or road tax.

[Dave]

Great news for walkers and horse riders on the bridleways around here.  The illegal use of bridleways by noisy off-road motorbikes, often riding too fast, is a real nuisance, and it's good that something is at last being done to tackle the problem. 

[admin]

Off Road, Off Limits
06 August 2015

The Safer Stockport Partnership (SSP), which includes Stockport Council, Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue service, is making a stance against off-road bikes.

Working in partnership, the SSP is making Stockport residents aware that it is illegal to ride a motorcycle of any description on land that is not a public road without the permission of the land owner.

Additionally, off-road motorcycles are generally not taxed or insured for road use, and riders tend not to wear helmets or protective clothing.

If an off-road bike is spotted, residents should provide the following:

    Description of who is riding the bike.
    Where the bike is being used.
    When is it being used (time of day e.g. evening, daytime, weekend).
    Details about the vehicle (e.g. make, model, colour).
    Who owns the vehicle (if known).
    Where the bike is being stored or address.

Councillor Shan Alexander, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Safe & Resilient Communities, said: “The issue of off-road bikes as a whole is a problem across Stockport, and we are urging Stockport residents to help us tackle this by providing information if they spot an off-road bike.”

Leon Jacobs, Chief Inspector from Greater Manchester Police, said: “We are working in partnership to address the issue of off-road bikes as we know these bikes cause a lot of noise and distress and we are using all tools and powers to help combat this.”
 
For more information, please contact the SSP by visiting their website (http://www.saferstockport.org.uk/), or call the Community Safety Unit on 0161 474 3143.