The Peak District National Park Authority does its best to ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy the Park. In order to do this the park authority has set up what is known as “Green Lanes”. Green Lanes are historic tracks which have been used in the past by a range of different users and are currently available for use by walkers, horse riders, cyclists and motor vehicles. There are currently around 300 green lanes within the Peak District itself, and the highways agency is responsible for deciding what routes constitute green lanes. The highways authority has already made several decisions regarding routes and has decided that some routes are not suitable for usage by motor vehicle.
The Peak District National Park Authority also has a significant role to play regarding green lanes and their usage. The park authority looks at green lanes and attempts to decide whether or not they can be used in a sustainable manner. This often means looking at the surface of green lanes and identifying the type of usages which may result in erosion. The park authority has also identified problem routes which require urgent reconsideration which is described as priority routes. The park authority raises issues surrounding green lanes at meetings which have authority members, business owners and residents present. The authority also consults with all users in order to try and make the best decisions possible.
There are a number of groups which exist to manage usage of the Peak Districts Green lanes by motor vehicles. Many of these groups try and highlight some of the environmental issues surrounding the usage of green lanes, as well as how to best use green lanes. The Peak District national park authority also tries to promote minimal usage of green lanes to ensure that the environmental impact of usage is minimised.
The park authority has a final back up plan for users who fail to use the green lanes in a considerate manner, or for green lanes which become unsuitable for usage by motor vehicle users. This final back up plan centres around the use of Traffic regulation orders (TRO’s) Traffic regulation order restrict the operation of vehicles on certain routes completely, meaning these routes can just be used by cyclists or walkers. The park authority has a specific strategy regarding the use of green lanes, which identify when to restrict usage by motor vehicles.