10 minute read
L a n i n g L i f e
Read about green laning as seen through Lauren ‘Sunshine’ Eaton's windscreen at The Green Lane Association, and find out what’s hot, or not, in the laning world each month. Enjoy!
A brave new world…
Hurrah, we can lane again (in England)!
We are thankfully beginning to get our freedom back, but, as the country begins to rebuild a new sense of normality, well, in England at least, Wales and Scotland still remain under much more stringent lockdown restrictions (subject to possible change in July), just like every other industry the laning world is not exempt from post-covid challenges… and I’m still not exempt from trying to explain varying, complex and sometimes ambiguous government advice from two different countries in a simplified way that reads well - the sooner this is over the better!
While the emerging post-viral situation is a far cry from a Mad Max-esque post-apocalyptic dystopian reality, things have changed, and will probably continue to do so for some time.
In some cases we have cause to celebrate, GLASS has had a record month for new members, over 100 signed up in one week in June - 30 in one day! We welcomed well over 200 new members over the month! You’re all awesome by the way!
But other differences do pose new things to think about and be aware of...
Laning has always been a sensitive hobby, particularly since the NERC Act of 2006. For those who are not aware the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006) removed vehicular rights from any public rights of way not shown on the definitive map at that point in time, and also from any dual status unclassified roads.
It also prevented any new BOAT claims being made, unless they were covered by an exemption - not that there were many of those - so, the upshot was we lost a considerable number, around 50% nationwide, up to 90% in some areas.
It also means even if we find roads that historically had MPV rights, in the majority of cases we can’t add them to the record as vehicular RoWs, the best we can hope for is restricted byway status and we can’t drive those.
NERC wasn’t the end of our losses, since it came into force lanes have been closed for a myriad of reasons, and, as I’ve explored in previous columns, public perception and bias has been a key motivator in many, if not the majority, of those closures. This is the main objective of GLASS, we exist to fight for, preserve and protect our rights to drive byways and unclassified county roads, and to repair and maintain them when authorities do not, or cannot.
But I digress…how does a virus come into all of this?
Well, if public perception is a major factor that can negatively affect the most law-abiding and responsible 4x4 drivers on the best of days, and currently the public perception of outlanders and unnecessary travel is heightened, coupled with an increased fear over public and personal health, it stands to reason we may not be welcomed with open arms.
In some cases RoWs of various statuses have been temporarily closed to all or some users in order to protect the local residents, fair enough, but that means we do need to respect those closures, and ensure that we don’t add fuel to the already raging fire while we’re out.
One of the most notable closures is actually a tarmac ‘C’ road emergency TRO in the Lake District that restricts access to Parkamoor. The C5018 that runs the eastern length of Conniston Water has been closed in its entirety due to a post-covid influx of tourists who sadly haven’t been respecting the local area. Litter, anti-social behaviour, and parking issues have left the area a mess, but have also blocked emergency services from attending calls. The road is closed for 21 days initially, but the order states:
This of course raised immediate concerns about accessing Parkamoor, and rightly so! Thankfully the newly repaired lane can be accessed, the LDNPA have confirmed to GLASS that it remains open and we are welcome to drive it, but in order to do so we have to drive a road with an ETRO on it.
This is far from ideal and could raise a few eyebrows in the local and very sensitive area, but it is what it is, so proceed with caution and respect.
We also have to consider that no one (well, anyone who hasn’t been flouting covid restrictions) has driven our lanes in a long time, so we have no idea of their condition - although GLASS are rallying our reps to update TW2 with up to date observations.
It’s summer, overgrowth is likely, and unfortunately there has been a spike in illegal obstructions due to the fear of outsiders bringing a virus with them via the scenic route.
This just means we need to ‘stay alert’ (see what I did there) when venturing out for the first time in months.
With many people having more time on their hands during lockdown, social media usage and discussion of laning-related topics has risen. On one hand this is great, I’m a big believer in opening lines of communication, and helping a brother out when it comes to getting to grips with laning, but on the other it seems to have prompted an increase in illegal or irresponsible laning posts.
Worse than that there appears to be a trend towards bashing laning organisations, coupled with some weird inference that they are in competition with each other, or simply an ‘I don’t care’ attitude over how lanes are driven. Overall this is likely to have more of an impact on our hobby than covid ever will.
So, what has caused this spike in publicly announcing that ‘I don’t care, I’m going to purposefully go out and trash lanes/illegally drive’, or this anti-our-own-organisations attitude?
Has lockdown, or covid, affected the IQ of some drivers?
The very last thing we need is negativity and damage from the inside, we get far more than enough from outside as it is! I don’t think there is a clear answer to this, but it is clear that in some areas of our community the culture is shifting, to one that is not going to end well for laning, and bizarrely it’s our own who are putting it at risk.
I’m not here to sell membership or make you come over to the green side, but I cannot stress enough how internal bickering, illegal usage, and bias from the inside (irrespective of your organisational affiliation or lack thereof) affects us.
On a personal level I just don’t get it either, we’re all in the same boat (well, hopefully not as the traffic would be appalling lol! Sorry, I’ll get my coat!) so why go head-tohead with our own? Especially those who work to protect what we all love doing? All it does is have a negative effect on our passion.
I presume my Parkamoor Problem piece in last month'’s issue may sum it up. GLASS and other organisations have to make some tough and often unpopular decisions, but what matters is that those decisions are always in the very best interests of our hobby going forward. They really are, I can’t stress that enough!
Having seen the behind the scenes stuff myself, in some cases being the person who has to lead solutions I wouldn’t personally choose to put into place if my opinion mattered in these things, we just have to do what has to be done to ensure we don’t lose our rights to continue to lane. Simply put, don’t diss the hand that feeds you, and trust that we’re on your side!
I’m a massive proponent of bringing people together, putting unnecessary and blinkered biases aside, and working collectively, so much so that I’m working on a new initiative called Friends of the Wayfarer, which was inspired by the Friends of Ramsden Road group and the awesome work they’ve accomplished in protecting an iconic RoW up north.
In both cases anyone who has a vested interest in either lane - whether a laner, walker, cyclist, horse rider, local authority, local resident, GLASS, TRF, ATUK, TRA, Ramblers, BHS, whatever – is welcome to join forces and push for positive change. It works, it makes the work a lot more sociable, and it stops the bickering - win, win, win!
Overall we’ve come out of the worst covid has thrown at us rather unscathed compared to many and this is cause for celebration! It may not be completely over yet, but the future looks bright and we should all be able to relax a little, not to mention finally take a drive along some of our favourite lanes with a new sense of freedom.
Don’t forget if you do come across any problems GLASS are here to help, you don’t have to be a member to get in contact and report something, or to ask for our advice, we’re a friendly bunch. Keep an eye out for GLASS’s new message for Wales which should be released in the next week.
Thankfully now the world is starting to relax a little I have some news! Read on for what’s hot, and what’s not, in the laning world…
Scorcher of the month
Working together
Teamwork makes the dream work! If you’re interested in being involved with the Friends of Ramsden Road, or Friends of the Wayfarer initiatives mentioned above, please find information below!
What’s hot
Helping a brother (or sister) out
TrailWise2 is helpful beyond simply showing us where it is legal to drive. The ability to leave user comments and photos really does assist those who’ve never driven a lane to decide if it is one they would like to add to their route.
Our TW2 data officers are currently doing some housekeeping, along with help from our area reps, to help highlight the most important and useful comments on each lane which will help every single user that comes after them.
They’ve given me some handy tips to consider when leaving your feedback:
• When recording a comment, say what date you used the route, your vehicle type, and add any information that may be useful to people in future when they look up the lane on TW2 for route planning. You can and should include details of your direction of travel, the number of people travelling with you, and also other users you might meet, with their mode of transport too.
You might also mention: -
• Signs - Are there any signs at the start and end of each route, or anywhere else along the route?
• Obstructions and Problems - These should be recorded with a Grid Reference and an indication of which users could be affected - walkers, wide vehicles etc.
• Street furniture - Any furniture that exists along the route such as OS Benchmarks, mileposts, gates, cattle grids etc.
• TRO - Any Traffic Regulation Order signage should be recorded along with details of the classes of user that it affects and when it is in force if it is seasonal.
In addition to the information above, you can include photographs and general comments about the route as a whole. Many TrailWise2 users find it very useful to see the comments of previous users of a route.
What’s not
Closures, luckily mostly temporary, but they are popping up a lot more often since covid restrictions have been lifted, so do ‘be alert’!
Hampshire - a few TTROs are in place due to overhead power line maintenance. These are in place for the duration of the work, or up to 6 months as required, and are in effect on: Worldham BOAT 40, East Meon BOATs 43 and 46, and Clanfield BOAT 702.
Dorset - The TTRO enforced due to inconsiderate and mass use of the lane in order to access the beach at Burton Road, Abbotsbury has been lifted.
Just in case Wales does re-open on schedule do remember that the Wayfarer, Happy Valley, Carn March Arthur, and Strata Florida still remain off limits. As soon as that changes I’ll update!
That’s all from me this month folks! Keep an eye out for some news on lockdown restriction relaxation in Wales which will hopefully be announced in the next week!
Stay safe, and happy laning! Lauren x GLASS Media and Communications Officer
