Off-road driving enthusiasts have welcomed a new strategy for managing the Island's upland tracks, the so-called green lanes.
The IOM Four Wheel Drive Club says an action plan published this week by the Department of Infrastructure on future management of the unpaved highways is 'heading in the right direction'.
The strategy aims to find workable solutions within two years to the problem of heavy wear and rutting of the upland tracks.
A green lane user group has brought together a range of interested parties under one committee. Suggestions for the way forward include one way systems, improved signage, maps highlighting vulnerable tracks and control of the lanes by volunteer wardens.
No large-scale closures to motor vehicles are proposed, but some dead-end routes may be shut.
Infrastructure Minister Lawrence Skelly says he's confident a positive way forward for all groups - bikers, walkers, off-roaders and horse riders - has at last been found.
Secretary of the FWD Club Richard Craine, a member of the Green Lane User group, says part of the problem is that many sections of the ancient green lanes have become overgrown - resulting in users wearing down the sides of the track:
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