Off Roading: An "Illegal Activity" in Wales

[Budgie]

Well it is according to a quote from the Chairman of the Powys Community Safety Partnership on the BBC Wales Website.
Now, whether this is talking about 4x4 or motorcycle activity it doesn't actually say.
Have a read & see what you think.  ;)

[Yoshi]

Thats not what it said?

The whole way through it has said it is clamping down on "illegal off roaders", even to the point of at the end of the article saying about the fact there are legal routes for motorized vehicles.

[Budgie]

It was more the statement in this quote:

"The creation of this enforcement team is a pro-active approach in tackling the problems caused by this illegal activity and to ensure that everyone can enjoy our wonderful landscape in a safe way."

Seeing as they're talking about "illegal off roaders" then what activity is being referred too? 

[Yoshi]

Illegal off roading

If they wanted to be completely anti off roading then they would have said about the fact there is lots of rights of way open to vehicles.

[Budgie]

So it's the illegal activity of illegal off roading that he's talking about.
Which isn't very good English is it really? Stating that an activity is illegal should only require the word "illegal" once in the sentence, thus I read that the illegal activity referred too in his quote was the activity of "Off Roading".
Do you see how easy it is for people to get the wrong end of the stick, and the whole point of posting this in the first place?  ;)

[skip2]

He's talking about "illegal off roading" but and its typical of the majority of the countrys population in there beleif that off roading means going off the tarmac road, however motoristed  legal rights of way are all roads wheather they have a tarmac surface or not.

So you often get these mis guided bobble hat brigade thinking that once your on an unsurfaced road its illegal and then report you or in some cases try and stop you.

Also "greenlaning" or "greenlane" has no legal defination and some might say no defination at all.

[Disco Matt]

Off roading is illegal though (unless you have the landowner's consent eg at a pay and play). Laning isn't off roading. A BOAT or ORPA is as much a road as the A44, it just doesn't have tarmac on it.

I would suspect that the BBC have got the wrong end of the stick here, as from what I have seen of the people involved in this "crackdown" they are very supportive of legal off-tarmac driving and only take what might be termed a professional interest in those individuals who wander off piste and damage the landscape, as well as those driving without tax, MOT, insurance, etc. I say good luck in catching them, as I'm getting a bit fed up with the damage done by the illegals.

[robert francis]

there clamping down in the rhondda valley alot, theres been loadsa fines and a few motoors been taken, but if there doing wrong they should be told off, but it doesnt look good for the rest of us.

i havnt read the post but just saying what i now round here, cheers guys

[Llanigraham]

GOOD
They are doing this elsewhere, so why not here?
Let's hope that they catch some of these ILLEGAL prats, fine them heavily and take their vehicles off them!

[skip2]

GOOD
They are doing this elsewhere, so why not here?
Let's hope that they catch some of these ILLEGAL prats, fine them heavily and take their vehicles off them!

Umm but while the plods are chashing a few so called off roaders there a major crime wave in other areas of Wales.

I went to one of these commuity meeting and lack of plod repsonse was blamed on resources (or lack of them), serious crimes are been committed and crimminals are getting away with it while plods run round the countryside after not exactly serious crimes.

Welsh police, well NWP do publish on the net crime maps for wales, you look at some of the crime rates for coastal towns some are 100-200 times higher than rural areas

[waveydavey]

I thought this was the interesting line:

Powys council said there had been an increase in illegal off-roading during the past 10 years.

I don't condone illegal activities but in the 10 years or so they have been closing down legal routes illegal off roading has increased - funny that?