THE sound of a roaring engine may not epitomise tranquil Lakeland, but recreational vehicle users have long argued to protect their equal rights to access green roads through the national park.

Following complaints from local residents and organisations, such as the Friends of the Lake District, groups representing four-by-four and motorbike users have made strong efforts to resolve the issue.

Off-road groups such as LARA (the Land Access and Recreation Association) began working with the Lake District National Park Authority and Cumbria County Council more than five years ago.

They began to construct a pro-active management strategy, which would address the issue of sustainable use of the national park by all recreational off-road vehicles.

A 'Hierarchy of Trails' was drawn up, which placed routes in one of several categories, ranging from routes which allow free use of most types of vehicles at all times, through to routes which are signposted with a green poster requesting drivers to refrain from use.

The Hierarchy of Trails is not set in stone but was intended to be responsive to changes in the condition of individual tracks or roads.

Trails management officer at the LDNPA David Robinson said the Hierarchy was a pioneering experiment.

"We had to identify all 115 of the relevant routes in the national park, then survey and categorise them," he told the Gazette.

Once the initial Hierarchy had been set, the authority began monitoring the routes for any condition changes which would require them to be moved to a different category.

Mr Robinson said: "Voluntary wardens have been doing on-the-spot surveys.

We have also carried out fixed point photography of damage points and have fixed data loggers on 12 roads."

Groups such as LARA see the experiment as a way of ensuring more responsible use of the trails.

However, because the Hierarchy relies on good will, rather than statute, some organisations, and individuals remain unconvinced by the experiment.

See News, Lakes news and Lifestyle-environment for more.