Off-road enthusiasts can continue to drive their 4x4s on ‘green lane’ tracks in the Lake District after a bid to make it illegal was dismissed on all counts by a judge.

The legal action was crowdfunded by the Green Lanes Environmental Action Movement (GLEAM), with more than 2,000 people donating £64,000.   

More than 370,000 signed a petition calling for the Lake District to be protected from 4x4s and motorcycles.

Campaigners went to the High Court to challenge a 2019 decision by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) to allow off-roaders continued use of farm and quarry tracks in the Langdale and Coniston valleys.

One of the tracks was once owned by Beatrix Potter before being handed over to the National Trust.

Campaigners had argued the vehicles pollute the atmosphere, and endanger ramblers and cyclists.

The LDNPA responded that most walkers and cyclists had driven to the start of their activities and so were contributing to air pollution just as much as 4×4 drivers.

The Guardian added the LDNPA claimed that it was mountain bikers, plus more severe weather, that had contributed to erosion of one of the contested routes, rather than the motorists.

It also had ‘no actual evidence of any accidents, incidents or injuries,’ despite claims to the contrary by the campaigners.

GLEAM chairman Mike Bartholomew told The Guardian the group planned to fight on.

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Parliamentary legislation now requires all new cars sold in the UK to be fitted with a DAB-compatible radio. 

From 21 December 2020, where a new car has a radio fitted, it must be able to receive digital audio broadcasting. 

The provision is found in The Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020, which took effect from 1 September 2020. 

This ensures the UK will match the European Electronic Communications Code Directive, introduced by the European Union.

The requirement for standard DAB in new cars was uncovered by Andrew Clews of The Motoring Podcast.

The advantages of DAB for all

According to the WorldDAB industry forum, 95 percent of new cars sold in the UK already come with a DAB radio. 

Major manufacturers such as BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen began the digital rollout more than a decade ago. It leaves very few new cars on sale without a DAB radio.

Today, there are more than 485 DAB stations available in the UK, with 97.3 percent of the population covered by its service.

In-car listening now accounts for 44.5 percent of digital radio ‘reach’ across the country.

Tuned in for the future

Where a car comes without any radio fitted at all, the new legislation will (sensibly) not compel manufacturers to install a DAB receiver. 

The rules apply to all ‘Category M’ motor vehicles. Minibuses, coaches, ambulances, and motorhomes are therefore included in the requirements.

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Car manufacturers are obliged to meet strict CO2 targets for vehicle emissions by the end of 2020 – but new car CO2 output is actually rising – a trend one analyst is blaming on a focus on selling profitable SUVs.

Last year, SUVs comprised nearly 4 in 10 European new car sales. This has almost doubled since 2015, reveals data from JATO Dynamics.

The popularity of big, heavy SUVs is why a long decline in average new car CO2 emissions has gone into reverse– leaving car firms way off the target they now have just months to meet.

• RELATED: The car companies with the lowest CO2 emissions in Europe

Many car firms are facing huge fines for not reducing their new car CO2 emissions quickly enough.

By the end of 2020, the average CO2 emissions of cars sold in Europe needs to be 95g/km. In 2019, it was 121.8g/km, giving car firms a mountain to climb.

The average CO2 emissions of an SUV is even higher, at 131.5g/km. This has risen since 2017 – and as SUV market share has grown in that time, this increase has compounded the problem.

Car firms are, says JATO, “facing a tough decision – sacrifice sales from SUVs or risk not meeting the target.”

It certainly means brands might think twice about launching new SUVs in this marketplace, adds JATO, “especially given that any profits they make could easily be depleted by rising penalties”.

Car firms will be fined €95 for every 1g/km of CO2 they are over target, multiplied by the number of cars they sell.

The fines could therefore run into billions.

And despite the UK leaving the EU, it will be the same situation here: the UK government has agreed to transfer across the EU’s strategy for reducing new car CO2 emissions.

JATO analyst Felipe Munoz says car manufacturers face a stark choice – either pay punitive penalties or, in the short term, “discontinue some of their SUVs”.

They either need to “sacrifice sales from SUVs or risk not meeting the target” – and either choice is going to cost them.

It’s the last thing an industry hit hard by the coronavirus crisis needs…

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An electric hearse based on a Tesla Model S has been launched by a UK specialist to meet the growing demand for zero-emissions ‘eco-funerals’.

Bolton’s Coleman Milne is now offering the Binz.E hearse, which is based on both new and used Telsa Model S electric cars.

The firm expects it to prove particularly popular with funeral directors operating in the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – in which it can operate for free.

With a 220-mile range, there’s no danger of running out of charge during even the longest funeral processions, either.

“As attitudes among policymakers and the general public shift towards greater environmental sustainability, it is important that the funeral sector takes stock of its own approach to climate change,” said Coleman Milne MD Lee Hudson.

He expects the growth of clean air zones and regional ULEZ initiatives to boost demand for electric hearses, but says funeral directors pushing more environmentally conscious funerals will also grow the market.

“Our new Binz.E will provide a key component in the growing trend for these eco-funerals.”

Germany’s Binz designed, developed and produces the Tesla-based Binz.E electric hearse which is being sold by Coleman Milne.

The Stuttgart-based firm says its clever compression composite sandwich construction gives the Binz.E plentiful strength and rigidity, and also “an exceptionally high-quality paint finish”.

Customers also benefit from the Tesla app, for remote observation of the vehicle, and use of the full network of fast-charging Tesla Superchargers.

A UK demonstrator is due imminently.

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