Test case could spell the end of green laning for motorcyclists

Motorcyclist’s rights to ride on green lanes and byways in England could be in jeopardy, after public school Winchester College successfully overturned a court ruling that allowed motorised vehicles to use public paths on Twyford Down in Hampshire.

The reversal by the Court of Appeals yesterday is viewed as something of a test case for the rest of England, and was the culmination of a 3-year legal battle brought by the school and neighbouring landowner Humphrey Feeds.

Motorcycles had been granted access to two lanes on the Down after the Trail Riders Fellowship, a voluntary body that campaigns for motorcyclists right to ride on country paths, successfully applied for two lanes on the Down to be opened up to motorised vehicles.