A57 Snake Pass: Cycling group challenges road closure

A cycling charity has said it will consider legal action if the closure of a road is not better justified.

Last month the A57 Snake Pass in Derbyshire was shut for at least four weeks to motor traffic after a number of landslips following heavy rain.

The ban was later extended to cover cyclists and walkers, leading to a mass "trespass" protest on 12 March.

Derbyshire County Council said "very large groups" of cyclists using the road made it "simply not safe".

The authority had previously said it extended the ban to cyclists because, following the general traffic ban, a surge in cycle use increased the risk of a collision with residents and works vehicles still permitted to use the road.

But cyclists rejected this, saying the route was safer than normal and pointing out the legal closure, a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), covered just one section of the 12 miles blocked off.

Cycling UK has now sent a letter to the council saying it must show there are good reasons for stopping non-motor traffic, especially if a ban extends beyond the original four weeks.

It called on the county council to publish a risk assessment or reopen most of the route.

Duncan Dollimore, the charity's head of campaigns, said: "In the absence of a risk assessment, the council's banning of people cycling and walking along a motor traffic-free stretch of road is baffling."

The letter ends by saying: "We are obliged to indicate that if you are unable to address the concerns raised in this letter, providing a reasoned evidence-based justification for closing the road to walkers and cyclists, that we are likely to seek legal advice regarding any decision to extend the closure to cyclists and walkers beyond 22 March."

The county council reiterated its statement following the protests that "the sheer number of cyclists" made the route unsafe, adding it "will continue to work to try to balance the needs and safety of cyclists, motorists, walkers, local residents, visitors, farmers and businesses".

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].