Ukraine crisis
This page features Commons Library publications relevant to the current conflict in Ukraine.

A Westminster Hall debate on 'Anti-social behaviour and off-road bikes’ has been scheduled for Thursday 26 May 2022 at 1.30pm. The debate has been initiated by Grahame Morris MP.
Anti-social behaviour and off-road bikes (167 KB , PDF)
A Westminster Hall debate on “Anti-social behaviour and off-road bikes” has been scheduled for Thursday 26 May 2022 from 1.30-3pm. The debate has been initiated by Grahame Morris MP.
Off-road bikes include a range of vehicles such as quad bikes and motorbikes, including scramblers and mini-motos. For many years there has been a problem whereby off-road bikes are being driven in a dangerous and anti-social manner and causing a nuisance. There have been incidents off-road bikes being driven in parks, on pavements and in other public spaces, resulting in injuries to riders and the public and damage to parks, fields, green spaces and private property.
Off-road bikes can be used on private land, with the landowner’s permission. The Road Traffic Act 1988 includes provisions that make it illegal to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle on land where permission has not been given. The Road Traffic Act 1988 (section 34) states that:
It is illegal to drive or ride a mechanically propelled vehicle without lawful authority on common land, moorland or land not forming part of a road, or on any road which is a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway.
It should be noted that unsurfaced unclassified roads (often know as green roads or green lanes) and byways open to all traffic (BOATs) are roads, so riders would need to have a driving licence and insurance, and the quad bike must be taxed and registered (as per the Road Traffic Act). To ride on public land (e.g. parks) riders would need the local authority’s permission.
Legislation also covers the use of such vehicles on the road. Both quad bikes and motorbikes must conform to the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 and riders must fulfil various regulations under the Road Traffic Act 1988. This means such bikes must be approved, registered, taxed and have an MOT (if needed) to be used on the road.
There are various legal provisions that could apply when motorised bikes are being ridden off-road:
In addition, the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 includes powers the police, councils and other local agencies can use to tackle anti-social behaviour involving off-road bikes. In January 2021, the Home Office published statutory guidance to frontline professionals on these powers.
In response to a written question about anti-social behaviour caused by off-road bikes, the Minister for State for Crime and Policing, Kit Malthouse MP, in December 2021, explained that the Government has provided the police, councils and other agencies with a “range of tools and powers” to response to anti-social behaviour, including “anti-social incidents involving off-road bikes.” The Minister added that areas can decide “how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances.” The Minister, in response to a separate question, confirmed the Government has no plans to bring forward a national strategy to address these issues.
There have been a series of attempts to use Private Members Bills to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour of off-road bikes. The latest of these was introduced by Judith Cummins, MP for Bradford South. The Quad Bike Bill would have:
This Bill was introduced in March 2022, but will make no further progress. The Library’s note on the Off-Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill, introduced in the 2006-07 session, provides background on some of the previous attempts to legislate on this issue.
Anti-social behaviour and off-road bikes (167 KB , PDF)
This page features Commons Library publications relevant to the current conflict in Ukraine.
This briefing answers Frequently Asked Questions about buses and taxis, including funding, regulation, complaints, greener vehicles, cross-border taxis, and concessionary bus travel.
There will be a debate on the contribution of lifeboat services to search and rescue in Westminster Hall on 10 January 2023 at 9:30. This debate will be led by Kevin Foster MP.