Many people enjoy walking as well as horse-riding on Seven Mile Beach. On the other hand, Ballina Shire Council issues thousands of beach-driving permits for Seven Mile annually. Permits are issued in apparently unlimited numbers via an app or an automated kiosk at Lake Ainsworth.

4WDs can be a nuisance and a safety hazard to non-driving beach users as well as a threat to wildlife. Drivers on Seven Mile do not slow down to 15 km/h (a snail's pace) when passing people, horses or shorebirds. New signage and occasional patrols by the NSW Police or Council Rangers have not stopped more serious cases of non-compliance and driver misbehaviour.

The 4WD zone on Seven Mile Beach is only 3.3 km long. Do people really need to drive on this short stretch of beach to have a picnic, go for a swim or have a fish? There are two pedestrian access points north of Lake Ainsworth. The road around Lake Ainsworth has been recently sealed.

Please sign this petition to let Ballina Shire Council know that Seven Mile Beach would be better without 4WDs.