The Fight for Stanage Causeway goes on….

Stanage Causeway - it doesn't have to be like this!

Stanage Causeway – it doesn’t have to be like this!

A large proportion of Stanage Causeway fell victim to Derbyshire County Council’s over-zealous engineers last year and the inevitable sanitised trail was the result.  Ride Sheffield and its members made their feelings known and DCC were left in little doubt that mountain bikers were not amused.  A year on, and no further work has been done.  

The status of the causeway as a byway could change shortly as the National Park Authority has decided to introduce a Traffic Regulation Order banning four-wheeled traffic.  However, the danger still remains that DCC with their limitless supply of crushed gritstone may still flatten what remains of the trail.

At a recent meeting of the Stanage Forum, Jane Marsden of Outseats Parish Council explained that the parish council had made representations to Derbyshire County Council that some mountain biking interest should be retained when trail maintenance is carried out.  The council feel that only half of the trail should be flattened to allow walkers and horse riders to pass more easily leaving exposed rock on the other side for bikers.

Interestingly, this is pretty much exactly what was originally proposed by the National Park.    It is also exactly what Sheffield Rights of Way Team have done on Houndkirk Road.  So, if the local parish council and the National Park can see that mountain bikers have rights too, why does DCC see things differently?