Partial rowback on vehicle ban along ‘Green Lane’

Claim for judicial review by motorcycle activists

A ban on motor vehicles using a Devon lane reserved for walkers and cyclists could be partially reversed after an action group’s threat of legal action.

Rydon Lane, which stretches for 2.5 kilometres between Mill Lane in Exton and Globe Hill in Woodbury, had long been signposted as unsuitable for motor vehicles but in 2024 formal rules banning them came in.

This led to the southern half of Rydon Lane becoming an official ‘Green Lane’, allowing the likes of walkers, cyclists and horse riders to use it but prevented vehicles.

But now decisionmakers are considering partially reversing that move to allow motorbikes to use the lane after the Trail Riders Fellowship brought a claim for judicial review.

That was based on the claim there was no evidence that allowing motorbikes to use the lane would be dangerous because of potential collisions with walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

The Trail Riders Fellowship, founded in 1970, describes its aim as conserving green roads for public exploration and enjoyment.

Its website says it has spent £2 million in the past 10 years “defending the rights of motorcyclists”.

It adds the organisation “has maintained a vigil against a series of sustained attempts by anti-public access activists to further reduce the public’s access, including that of motorcyclists, on the Green (unsealed) and minor road network”.

East Devon’s highways and traffic orders committee (Hatoc) will be discussing whether the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) – the mechanism by which vehicles were banned on Rydon Lane – should be varied to “allow the inclusion of solo motorcycles (without sidecar and having two wheels”.

The lane was repaired in 2023 to help improve its surface and to prevent frequent flooding, both of which made walking and cycling along it treacherous and unpopular.

When the repairs were completed, it was feared that the smooth surface would encourage drivers to use the route, and at high speeds given the good quality of the road.

That contributed to the decision to implement the TRO.

But the Trail Riders Fellowship have claimed the county council should have had regard to all relevant matters and “should have concluded that there is no need to close the traffic to motorcycles because there are arrangements that could and should be made to allow the continued use of the road by them”. 

The council and the Fellowship agreed the judicial review should be ‘stayed’ – essentially paused – for six months.

In that time, the council investigated possible measures to control the usage, such as a permit scheme or bollards that can be open with an access code.

However, it does not believe those would work.

The council is, however, proposing that if the Hatoc committee does approve the use of the lane by motorcycles, that a 20mph speed limit should also be imposed to reduce the chances of accidents.

A road safety audit acknowledged the “possibility a motorcyclist might collide with a pedestrian or cyclist, due to the fact that pedestrians and cyclists may not be expecting a motorcyclist to be using this lane” and that it is only 2.4-2.5 metres wide in places with restricted forward visibility.

But it is believed a low speed limit mitigates those risks, and will “ensure motorcycle speeds are low which means there is unlikely to be a significant impact on the safety of all persons using Rydon Lane”.

It stressed that quad bikes would not be allowed, a response to recent complaints from the parish council that quad bikers have been using the lane and were “posing a safety risk to active users of the lane as well as intimidating them”.

The Hatoc committee meets on Friday (20 March) to make its decision.