Councillor welcomes "decline" in illegal off-roading

LLANGOLLEN county councillor Stuart Davies says he is pleased to see that electronic monitoring shows illegal off-roading in the hills above the town is “declining”.

Cllr Davies based his comments on a report from a county council officer which gives an update on data taken from a vehicle logger placed on the Allt y Badi, which has been at the centre of many complaints about unlawful off-roader use.   

The report says: “The Allt y Badi logger show signs of a continuing reduction of use by recreational vehicles on this popular road over the autumn and early winter especially with motorcycles.

“Whilst this may be a reflection on the wetter or icier weather conditions, as we do not yet have a full year’s data, we do not yet know if this reduction is unusual or typical.

“However, at each reading it is apparent that the combined average numbers of users declines each time it is calculated and in addition the number of days on which no vehicles at all using the route is increasing as a percentage of measured days.

“We are now aware that average weekly use is now 40 vehicles as week compared to nearly 60 during last spring, for 31% of the days so far logged there were no vehicles on the road that day.

“We will shortly have completed a year of monitoring and we will continue to monitor the levels of traffic to help determine the most appropriate management for the route.”

The report adds: “Two police action days this winter have seen a number of notices being issued, punative fines issued and bikes impounded.

“The reduction in use illustrates that the exercise is having a successful impact by reducing these riders confidence that they can break the law and evade being caught with the penalties of being caught are significant.

“Other evidence from the patterns of vehicle activity the loggers reveal means the police have better information on when it is most likely they can intercept and stop riders avoiding the need for unproductive operations when these riders will not likely be present.”

Cllr Davies said: “I am pleased to see that illegal off-road riding use is declining.

“This comes after a joint meeting of stakeholders and authorities where the issues identified by the community were brought to the table by elected representatives.

“Issues were identified and outcomes agreed by the relevant authorities.”

He added: “I would like to thank the officers involved as well as North Wales Police for their swift reaction and firm dealings with people caught riding and driving illegally.
“County officers along with their colleagues are continuing to make sure that illegal use of green roads etc is punished.”