Local groups plea with bikers to take it steady in rural villages
Campaigners want motorcyclists to pipe down
As lockdown measures ease, the weather improves and bikers increasingly head out to enjoy the countryside and biker meeting spots, a rural campaign group is again urging motorcyclists to ‘slow down and tone it down’. ‘CANS’ (‘Councils Against Noise and Speed’) was set up last year by villagers in rural areas of Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire which covers what’s known as the ‘Devil’s Bridge triangle’ – a highly popular biking area. Hamish Wilson, chairman of the group, said: “We don’t want motorcycles banned and aren’t asking riders to stay away; we are simply asking for the minority who are tempted to speed on rural roads or use excessively loud exhausts to respect our communities and their way of life.”
CANS comprises representatives of 13 councils in the areas covered by popular rideout routes linking Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh, Hawes and Ingleton. The scenic area, which includes parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Lune Valley, has already seen regional police hold ‘action days’ to tackle both motorbike and car offences in the worst hit areas and more are planned.
In the most recent crackdown over the Easter weekend five bikes and three cars were seized by the police with charges brought including defective/modified exhausts, speeding and crossing solid white lines. Several riders were also injured in accidents in the area during the same weekend. Wilson added: “We don’t mind motorcyclists enjoying the area but not to the detriment of other visitors and residents.”