The Cambrian Mountain Pilot Project (CMPP) appears to be a well-intentioned exercise to ‘manage' the use of greenlanes that have for decades if not centuries managed themselves without recourse to political interference. Indeed one might argue that the issue of so-called ‘inappropriate' use by mechanically propelled vehicles (MPVs) is NIMBY generated controversy: until ten years ago trailriding was a normal feature of rural life in mid-Wales accepted by most if not all elements of the indigenous community.

A biased and subjective claim as to what is ‘appropriate' is no basis on which to change existing legislation, never mind long-held tradition. Please don't forget that these greenlanes are in fact perfectly legal roads that just happen to be unsurfaced and as such are legally usable by properly taxed, registered and tested MPVs.

Also, there is an erroneous assumption that the CMPP proposes to "open up" more routes to MPV users in the Cambrian Mountains, whereas exactly the opposite is the case. The CMPP Draft Report suggests cutting the existing, perfectly legal routes by up to 80%.

The Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) who represent responsible two-wheeled MPV users on unsurfaced roads are stakeholders in the CMPP and as such are not happy with many of its draft conclusions. Some of our main points can be summarised as follows:

1) Non-MPV users (i.e. equestrians, hikers, mountain bikers etc) already have 95% of the national unsurfaced RoW to themselves, yet they selfishly seem to want the whole lot. We prefer instead to life by the maxim ‘live and let live'.

2) Responsible trailriding does little or no damage to the greenlanes and brings considerable income into the area.

3) Agricultural vehicles, 4x4 vehicles and low-flying jets cause as much damage to the sensitive surfaces and perceived tranquility of the Cambrian Mountains as any number of responsibly ridden, perfectly legal motorcycles do. In any case, ‘tranquility' - a criterion which the CMPP sponsors have introduced entirely subjectively - has nothing to do with the legality of the unsurfaced roads concerned: sustainability is or should be the only issue here.

4) A tiny minority of illegal and illegally ridden motorcycles (i.e. the emotively and pejoratively termed ‘scamblers') create a nuisance for which the wider trailriding community is being scapegoated but there are existing police powers to deal with them and responsible trailriders will where possible assist them in so doing.

5) Discriminating against and ultimately confining trailriders (and other MPV users) to a small number of 'managed routes', as proposed by the CMPP, will result in ghetto-isation. This in turn will create ill-feeling and more importantly, over-use a small network of greenlanes which will in turn likely lead to their closure because they will become unsustainable. Which is of course what our opponents want.

Ysgrifennaf atoch yn mynegu fy mhryder, fel unigolyn ac hefyd fel Cadeirydd, Cymdeithas Edward Llwyd, am y cais honedig sydd yn dod ger eich bron i agor rhai o lwybrau cerdded a marchogaeth Mynyddoedd y Cambria i gerbydau gyriant pedair olwyn a beiciau modur. Byddaf yn cerdded yn aml ar hyd y llwybrau hyn ac mae yn bleser mynd a mwynhau llonyddwch a distawrwydd yr ardal.

Mae y rhain yn creu difrod mawr i'r tirlun a byddai bron yn amhosibl i gerdded llwybr y maent wedi bod yn ei dramgwyo.Cefais brofiad o hyn ddydd Sadwrn diwethaf tra yn cerdded gyda Chymdeithas Edward Llwyd yn ardal Ystradfellte ble roedd rhigolau dyfnion, hyd at droedfedd a haner o ddefnder wedi eu creu ganddynt a hynny yn agos iawn i hen Sarn Helen Rufeinig. Mae hen ffyrdd cyffelyb i'w cael yn Mynyddoedd Cambria a byddai yn golled am byth pe byddai y rhain hefyd yn cael ei difrodi.

Mae digon rwyn siwr o ffyrdd caled i'w cael yn y coedwigoedd fyddai yn eu digoni i greu cylchdaith. Yn anffodus y pleser mae'r bobl hyn yn ei gael i'w gobeithio mynd i drwbwl drwy suddo i ddyfnder mawr yn y mwd a'r llaid ac yna gorfod cael ei tynnu allan gan ei ffrindiau neu drwy ddefnyddio "winches" wedi ei angori ar y coed etc. Felly byddai mynd hyd heolydd caled ddim yn digoni eu pleser od.

Erfyniaf arnoch i beidio a chaniatau difrodi ei mynydd-dir hynod

We own a cottage on a route frequently used by 4x4 vehicles and always get annoyed by the noise, pollution and the tearing of our waterpipe as they drive over it and leaving it broken.

We heard that the Welsh Tourist Board is advertising abroad, and inviting 4 wheel drive enthusiasts to try the Welsh mountains!

Maybe you could look into the fact of who it is who is making money out of taking these people around. Farmers? Landowners? - i.e. County councillors?

I also witnessed the making of an advertisment for the welsh tourist board, which had two people in a golf cart visiting a welsh chapel in Baker street Aberystwyth. This was aiming at the american market!!! Maybe all of this can be stopped in the same way as fox hunting with hounds was! Hopeful and optimistic!

I sit on the stakeholder group for the project and am also the national Secretary of the Countryside Recreational Access Group and am a regular user of many of the rights of way in Mid Wales. The aim of the project is to try to exercise a degree of control over motorised users by identifying a robust and sustainable network of routes which can be promoted and offered to 4x4 and motorcycle users who are already (legally) using a wide range of routes within the Cambrian Mountains area. The historical problems due to lack of maintenance and the consequent natural erosion which has been exacerbated to a limited extent by traffic (most of which have paid their road fund licence), are not effectively addressed by the highways authorities despite their statutory obligations. This is primarily due to budgetary and resource limitations.

There seems to be a suggestion that this project will create a host of new routes including upgrading footpaths and bridleways for MPV use. This is clearly utter nonsense and technically impossible due to recent legislation. The reality is that it will encourage and focus existing legal traffic onto a sustainable network and will hopefully lead to a more effective maintenance programme thereby reducing conflict between various users and landowners etc.

The alternative would be to do nothing and for the users to continue to use the routes that they currently legally use with no effective maintenance policy and a general ongoing deterioration of the existing network and the relationships between users, landowners and the highways authorities.

WAG, CCW and the three local authorities concerned should be applauded for putting together a potentially effective partnership which engages all interested parties in a democratic process to try and find a workable solution to the not unreasonable requirements of a group that contribute very significantly to the Welsh economy and the vast majority of whom are responsible and conservation minded individuals.

Given that motorised users have access to less than 5% of the ROW network in Wales, it does seem unreasonable that certain minorities within the population believe that this should be reduced further still. Some people do not seem to have considered the fact that for many, the only way to reach some of the most beautiful parts of Wales is by motor vehicle and even for walkers it is still necessary to use a number of these routes to get to their start points.

I am writing to express my concerns about the above proposals.

I lived in Surrey for some time, where, rather as in this case, magically bridle paths were suddenly opened to bikes and 4 x 4s - without direct consultation with local interested groups who regularly used them.  As Chief Instructor for the local Riding for the Disabled, it became impossible to allow the children (and adults) out onto the bridle paths - even though each person had an attendant.  The horses could not physically get out of the way, and some were so terrified by the noise and speed that they bolted for home.  Eventually, Surrey County Council realized the damage and the danger that the motorised vehicles were causing and returned the paths to their original intention (unfortunately, it took a series of serious accidents).  I would also add that the ongoing costs of trying to keep those vehicles that once had access off the bridle and foot paths has been debilitating for the Council.

That is only one of the problems inherent with four wheel drive vehicles and bikes.  Another is the disruption they cause to the landscape and the disintegration of the soil structure, taking with them wild flowers and habitats.  It is in the nature of people to drive "off" track when tracks become impassable - particularly when on bikes.  However, part of the joys of the four-wheel drive vehicles is in deliberately reducing tracks to quagmires, which removes the quieter pleasures and enjoyment of those walking and riding.

I also believe that the insurances that respective farmers would have to take out to protect them against legislation should an accident occur to have serious implications. It leads me to believe that this is just going to be another tax for small businesses, already struggling with taxes and rising costs in vaccinations etc.

The hills are very open, and I do not believe that all the drivers would act carefully and responsibly - after all, it is the very nature of the "sport" to be both irresponsible and daring!

I have always felt that should people wish to drive off-road, then there is a business opportunity to be made by somebody who does not mind the mess and noise.  (However, they would require planning permission - a permission that it would seem the Local Authority can waive on a whim despite objections from both the owners of the land and the users thereof.)

Lastly, I find it unconscionable in this day and age, with oil becoming a dwindling resource, where we are all made to feel guilty to use a car, that to promote such an exercise (which benefits but a few) should even be considered.

When I look around at the state of the bridle and foot paths that are local to me - most of which are impassible - I am exasperated that a minority can suddenly command huge sums of money when ancient rights of way desperately need a far smaller injection of capital to be made accessible to a larger majority.

Here at Llanerchindda Farm along with a significant number of other tourism businesses in the area we rely very heavily on business that is already generated from people wishing to explore the countryside using motor vehicles. Without this business I would not be able to employ the numerous local people that I do or spend a significant amount of money with other local businesses.

There is in fact a very good and sustainable network of legal routes already through the Cambrian Mountains, which make up part of each local authorites network of publicly maintainable vehicular routes (i.e. those that people who pay their road fun licences are legally able to use).

There is no intention to use footpaths or bridleways as part of the project, most of the proposed routes already exist and are already used on a virtually daily basis by people who wish to explore the countryside in their vehicles legally. There is also no mention in the report of rally cars using the routes and this would not be possible except as part of the numerous events that already take place within the forests of Wales.

I do agree that some drivers / riders may be using their vehicles on routes, which are not suitable for motor vehicles and it is the aim of the Cambrian Mountains Pilot Project to remove these routes from the network and produce a network of sustainable routes that cause the least amount of impact to the countryside that they pass through. Some of the routes pass through some of the remotest areas and without vehicles would be totally inaccessible for a significant number of people. If we want people to enjoy our beautiful counytrside then we need to change our attitudes otherwise the only people that will be able to see what we have to offer are those that are the keenest walkers or just the local wildlife. You also need to remeber that walkers who visit the area mainly reach the start of their walks by using motor vehicles and therefore your arguments with regards to air quality, etc do not make an awful lot of sense as vehicles travelling at fairly low speeds off road do not in fact use significant amounts of fuel.

I have just been made aware of the plans to create 108 miles of 4x4 and motorbike off road routes in the beautiful Cambrian mountains. I am completely flabbergasted that the council could even contemplate such an abomination.

The biggest asset that we have is the peace , tranquillity and pure air, combined with natural beauty and wildlife. This project will destroy the lot in one fell swoop.

Surely the damage created could not ever be compensated by any financial gain. This will surely deter far more visitors than it can ever attract. You can create schemes to maintain the routes, but you simply cannot prevent the rape of the wildlife or the pollution of the air, or the noise pollution.

I know from experience that the very few occasions that we have had small rallies nearby here, that the disturbance created has upset all our guests and all the locals. The noise was appalling and the danger created very real. The drivers have to get to these places, and they drive over our lanes and main roads in the same manor they use on the off road stretches.

It is totally inappropriate development, why not look into creating walking routes, off road biking even, nature trails , for goodness sake preserve our most precious asset rather than destroy it.

I also think it goes completely against all present day feeling for preserving the planet, and is not going to be good publicity for Wales.

I will be very much against these proposals, and will do all I can to prevent them going ahead.