Quads on Lugnaquilla

quadsofflug

Please have a look at

http://www.quadsofflug.com

As you may be well aware quad and scrambler bikes are doing much damage to hill areas in Ireland. This site is hoping to raise awareness of the problem and to try to stop the damage.

Wicklow Mountains National Park are responsible for protecting the Wicklow Hills (not just the National Park), the more pressure they come under the more likely we are too see more serious action being taken to stop this nonsense.

Please helps raise awareness by promoting this site in whatever way you can.

Thank you for your help.

SNAKEDOC

i just had a look at your web site. fair play to you. its idiots like that that destroy our countryside for future generations. I camp on ocasion near lug with the permission of the rangers who are a fine group of people and i'll be sure to keep an eye out for any bikes from now on, keep up the good work

Would be careful about pics, after all I would have thought a farmer going about his work should be allowed to use them (though not sure of the law) without fear of beaing labelled some thrillseeker. But apart from that, fair play, they are a generally use disgracefully and can cause terrible damage.

SNAKEDOC

farmers don't pull dounuts on the summit of lugnaquilla. or drive around with mad colourful lether suits on with helmets and goggles. you#ll recognise a farmer by his hat or green trench coat. thrill seekers dress a bit different:D

loobylou

The website specifically states that legitimate use of quadbikes by farmers IS permitted.

SNAKEDOC

SNAKEDOC wrote: »

thrill seekers dress a bit different

Down in Kerry, the line between boy racer and farmer can be a bit blurred!

Know young fellows who fly around in quad bikes tearing up the countryside and some lovely hills around here and who look just like the crowd that should be banned...but they happen to be farmers working on their own land, albeit with a little bit of a thrill along the way.

Not defending anyone btw, really more the owner of that site. In these litigious times, a pic on that site of a person who happens to be a farmer going about his work could simply result in a defamation case.

SNAKEDOC

i think you can tell the difference between a farmer out on bhis own quad checking cattle or sheep or whatever and a person out just for a laugh. All i'm saying is the line is a bit more clear cut than you think. obvoiusly before running out taking a picture and sticking it on a web site saying "look look they are destroying the countryside" you must take stock of what you saw and take apropriate action. call the duty ranger number one. give a description. if on a public road call the gardai number two. if you are beside a group of lads obvoiusly out to rally the hills make it known to them that the ranger is on his way and photograph them if capable of doing so. when in doubt let the pros handle it. to me anyway it is pretty much like common sense.

SNAKEDOC

SNAKEDOC wrote: »

All i'm saying is the line is a bit more clear cut than you think.

Maybe in Lug - and I appreciate the site is really about Lug - not down around where I live though in South Kerry. Loads of young fellows around here have quads, and obviously loads of them are farmers. And lots of them will be validly out working, but will tear it up a bit and will fly around the place. Know one hill where I walk a lot that has been carved up, and its a shame, but on the other hand I can say hand on heart that it was all done by fellows at work because I happen to know them all and they have sheep out there.

Slogger Jogger

Just read an article in today's Irish Times to say that the Minister of the Environment has banned quad bikes (except for agricultural use) in a list of areas inc. Blackstairs, Wicklow mountains etc. Thats all well and good but how do they enforce such a ban.

Cookie_Monster

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Just read an article in today's Irish Times to say that the Minister of the Environment has banned quad bikes (except for agricultural use) in a list of areas inc. Blackstairs, Wicklow mountains etc. Thats all well and good but how do they enforce such a ban.

they don't just like the way bike and horses and what not are banned from way-marked paths, like the wicklow way, yet there is zero enforcement of this except by some dedicated walkers who try their best to inform those they meet

FrostyJack

In a related topic :

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/climbers-leave-a-holy-mess-on-croagh-patrick-2280591.html

They should build an incinerator at the top and anyone who leaves rubbish there should be thrown in it, then the rubbish

Evil Phil

Mountaineering Ireland wrote:

If you have any photos or details of where this activity continues please email access@mountaineering.ie.

Taken from their article here.

jwshooter

i live under the blackstairs , i have made many complaints to coillte who owned some heather on the white mountain . every friday nite its a party up there . the locals are going mad
the bikes are parking in the coillte forest and then racing about onto the hill
we dont have the time or money to stop them ,was my answer by the forester in charge .

Cookie_Monster

jwshooter wrote: »

i live under the blackstairs , i have made many complaints to coillte who owned some heather on the white mountain . every friday nite its a party up there . the locals are going mad
the bikes are parking in the coillte forest and then racing about onto the hill
we dont have the time or money to stop them ,was my answer by the forester in charge .

:mad:

500 quid fine every time they are caught will give the money to enforce it...

joewicklow

Its not just Lug in Wicklow either. Silsean and the track to Moanbane are also destroyed by Quads.
The quads were doing donuts around the summit of Silsean, its going to take years for the ground to go back to the way it was.

Cookie_Monster

Quads banned article today

quadsofflug

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/mindless-quad-bikers-ripping-up-our-mountain-beauty-spots-2283223.html

dave45dave

Whingers the lot of you. Been a quad owner myself id rather ride my quad on the roads , but as this ***ked up country goes , nobody will insure us. Id say this goes for a lot of quad owners. Ban wont stop the 10 to 15 of us that go out.

Cookie_Monster

dave45dave wrote: »

Whingers the lot of you. Been a quad owner myself id rather ride my quad on the roads , but as this ***ked up country goes , nobody will insure us. Id say this goes for a lot of quad owners. Ban wont stop the 10 to 15 of us that go out.

well I really hope you get the €5,000 fine and then you may learn. :mad:

Donny5

dave45dave wrote: »

Ban wont stop the 10 to 15 of us that go out.

Arseholes, the lot of you.

Merch

guess thats the mentality you are dealing with ignorance

dave45dave

dave45dave wrote: »

Whingers the lot of you.

Not sure that's fair. You must be aware of what a quad bike can do to the landscape, that is a bit of a childish comment.

dave45dave wrote: »

Been a quad owner myself id rather ride my quad on the roads

That's fair enough.

dave45dave wrote: »

as this ***ked up country goes , nobody will insure us.

Not sure that is a Government decision, presumably one taken by the insurance companies because of all the claims lodged by quad bike owners messing and getting injuries, or of course causing damage to land.

dave45dave wrote: »

Ban wont stop the 10 to 15 of us that go out.

Again, that's just childish again. Can't stop us or nuttin anyway...sniffle...

The 10 or 15 of you going out won't stop us taking photos, contacting the authorities and making complaints, giving statements etc. etc. and doing all those things that concerned citizens should do to uphold the law of the land and to ensure those who break it get a fine. Do these things come with a criminal conviction by the way?

Good luck with driving quads along roads, but don't expect people who like the flora and fauna of this country to be happy with the sight of these things tearing up our hillsides.

dave45dave

Dont think this new law is worth the paper its written on , all im saying is people have hobbies and there trying to stop this. How do they plan on catching people on quads and scramblers. Im not trying to be a gob****e or anything im just stating facts.

dave45dave

dave45dave wrote: »

Dont think this new law is worth the paper its written on , all im saying is people have hobbies and there trying to stop this. How do they plan on catching people on quads and scramblers.

Of course, whether you think it's worthy or not is irrelevant, unless you're President McAleese. My hobby was setting fire to the sides of mountains and hiding bags of rubbish in woods so I do sympathise with you and your protests. Again, people wondered how they'd stop us, it took a few concerned photo happy citizens, a few Judges who love the peace of the country and gave whopping fines, but in some areas the message is slowly getting through...

Evil Phil

Donny5 has been banned for a week for his last post.

duckysauce

dave45dave wrote: »

Dont think this new law is worth the paper its written on , all im saying is people have hobbies and there trying to stop this. How do they plan on catching people on quads and scramblers. Im not trying to be a gob****e or anything im just stating facts.

:rolleyes: they are not stopping your hobby , they are stopping the hills getting ripped up to bits, you are free to on your bikes just not in certain areas.

quadsofflug

dave45dave wrote: »

all im saying is people have hobbies and there trying to stop this.

Nobody's trying to prevent you engaging in your hobby, just restricting where you can engage in it. The problem is, you engaging illegally in your hobby is interferring with my enjoyment of my hobby. Lots of people have hobbies that are restricted, if I go out and buy a fishing rod I can't just fish wherever and whenever I like.

It's up to you to find a way you can legally engage in your hobby. Look at what these guys are doing www.leinster4x4.ie. They've leased forestry from Coillte so they can engage in their hobby, they can drive around to their hearts content without disturbing anyone or anyone disturbing them. Why can't quad and scrambler bikers do something similar?

dave45dave

Im not even going to answer that last stupid question. Its not like your going to get knocked down walking up and down hills.

dave45dave

dave45dave wrote: »

Im not even going to answer that last stupid question. Its not like your going to get knocked down walking up and down hills.

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha. Very good!

I take it someone is pretending to be a quad bike driver and faking stupidity. Noone could be this dumb, it must be trolling.

Evil Phil

I'm locking this for a few days to give everybody a chance too cool down. Here's a few things to ponder while you do:

1. It's the "anti-quad" school who have been the moderator headache in this thread.
2. This is the outdoor pursuits forum not the hill walking forum, so I'm glad we've a quad-biker involved in the discussion. It is a shame I seem to be the only one.
3. Anymore personal abuse in this thread and the poster(s) responsible will be banned permanently. Hill walkers, I'm looking directly at you.

quadsofflug

dave45dave wrote: »

Im not even going to answer that last stupid question. Its not like your going to get knocked down walking up and down hills.

You've lost me I'm afraid!

If you mean it's fear of getting knocked down that preventing me enjoying my hobby - it's not. It's that I find it heart breaking to see a place I love being mindlessly destroyed - like going to your favorite picnic spot and finding it covered in rubbish.

The only question I asked was why can't quad bikers get together and organise somewhere that they can go legally instead of breaking the law. I can't see what's stupid about that. There are some places already in existance, there's that place beside the M6 and I believe there a new track in trim. And surely there must be a lot of underused sand and gravel pits all over the country these days. It seems more sensible to me to spend a few quid to get somewhere legal to go than to risk a 5000 euro fine and having your quad taken from you. But maybe I'm missing something?