FOR most people who live in these parts it is a simple solution. Modern four wheel drive vehicles and ancient tracks used by packhorses and men on foot simply do not go together. That's why the National Park's decision to add its voice to the growing calls for a ban on vehicles on so-called "green lanes" is likely to find overwhelming support among its constituents.

It is a marked departure from the previous policy of finding agreement and consultation with official bodies representing the four wheel drive brigade. Alas, responsible and pragmatic as these official groups were, it was invariably the non-members who saw boggy tracks as a challenge to drive through, and the more damage left behind the greater the enjoyment.

Legislation is now needed to bring some sense into an incredibly tangled legal situation. The laws governing rights of way have not altered to take account of modern transport.

Any move to restrict the rights of four wheel drive vehicles to use these lanes is certain to be resisted by interest groups. Among them are the representatives of horse and carriage groups, which few people would argue cause any serious damage to the countryside.

The four wheel vehicle drivers do have a legal right on their side. Whether they have a moral right to take precedence over the conservation of green lanes is another matter. For many readers of this newspaper the answer will be an unequivocal no.

Putting aside all the tangled legal arguments, the simple issue is that most people equate the Dales with images of stone walls, barns, beautiful scenery and sheep - a place in which to enjoy the countryside in peace. No painting or scenic shot of the Dales has ever included a large motorised vehicle ploughing through the mud.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.