According to a report in the IW County Press, the local authority have conducted a Safety Review (ALL these years after they opened the trail up to ‘off road’ use) & assessed that certain parts are not wide enough to allow vehicles & walkers (presumably that also includes horse riders) to pass in safety; they have therefore closed a section of the trail until July 2006 to ‘off road’ users.  This is nowhere near the location where recent problems were encountered & that section remains open.  Therefore, closing this section does nothing to prevent further recurrence of earlier problems.

The official closure notice elsewhere in the same issue of the IW County Press states that the trail is closed for repairs – which could imply that it’s being widened.

Notwithstanding the above – two vehicles CANNOT, and never have been able to pass, along many stretches of the trail; either when approached from the opposite direction or to pass/overtake; under such circumstances, presumably they drive off the trail onto farmland or downland, which is in violation of the use of the trail which states that 'of road' users must stay on the trail.

The bottom line is that the trail, even if the closed section is widened, it is STILL not suitable for use by ‘off road’ users for the reasons stated above & should be closed not only to protect the fragile surface of the downland but also restore it back to use by environmentally friendly users i.e. walkers, horse riders & pedal cyclists.

The owner of an off-road taxi business has criticised plans to make the Tennyson Trail a no-go area for vehicles. Wild Horses proprietor Ann Faber said a ban on vehicles using the trail would mean many disabled and elderly people would not be able to visit the beauty spot. "I started the business as a taxi service that could go to places an ordinary taxi cannot and I wanted to show people how beautiful the West Wight is. This year I did a lot of advertising to do with off-road sightseeing. "I regularly take people up there who cannot walk along the trail. I think it is disgraceful to take that opportunity away from people," said Mrs Faber, who established her business three years ago.

The IW Council's decision to introduce a vehicle ban along the trail - part of an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) - came after concerns were raised about damage to ancient burial mounds, safety and an incident at Christmas when sheep were killed by off-roaders. The decision was backed by several other organisations, including the AONB Partnership, the National Trust and Freshwater Community Initiative.

Mrs Faber said the council could have considered a system with access to restricted vehicles licensed by the council. "People are saying it is eroding the landscape but I am up there a couple of times a day and the gulleys that are created are more of a weather problem," she said. "This will ruin 50 per cent of my business," she added.

A CONTROVERSIAL move could mean The Tennyson Trail being open to some vehicles in defiance of a total ban imposed after deliberate attacks on sheep grazing there.

A permit system could be introduced to allow vehicle owners to drive along the route, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty and site of specific scientific interest.

The IW Council had planned to introduce a total ban on vehicles using the trail earlier this year following fears about livestock and damage to habitats.

On Christmas Eve, 2005, sheep grazing on the trail were killed by an off-road vehicle in an apparently deliberate attack in which some animals were repeatedly run over.

Director for environment and neighbourhoods Stuart Love told the council’s scrutiny committee the original report had been revised to take into account views of the public, including some who were concerned restricting vehicle access would prevent disabled people from using the trail.

He said the permits could be issued in a similar way to parking permits and would be enforced with the help of the police.
“The police will not be able to enforce it full time. But they are up there at different times for other reasons,” said Mr Love.
Cllr Diana Tuson questioned the ability of the police to enforce the permits effectively.
“They are already stretched. How can they police this?” she said.

Scrutiny chairman Cllr Geoff Lumley added: “One of the reasons we considered calling in this matter before was because the police were not happy they could enforce it.”

Cllr Tim Hunter-Henderson, cabinet member for transport and the environment, said “We need to ensure people who drive recklessly would not be allowed to use the road. If we issue permits, only responsible people would apply for them.”
However, Cllr Bill Burt called for a total ban.

“If you had seen those sheep that were run over by vehicles you would never let anyone go up there in a vehicle,” he said.
Cllr Vanessa Churchman added: “There are points on the trail for disabled people to approach from a different direction. It is like saying Kew Gardens is lovely, why can’t we drive our cars there? The car is not king.”

Perhaps if enough individuals contact the local authority, then it might result in a TRO (traffic regulation order) being put in place to restore the Tennyson Trail back to how it used to be.

Please contact Alex Russell to inform him of any experiences that you may have encountered and/or any objections you may have to keep this route open to all traffic.