LANING LIFE

Laning Life by Lauren Eaton

This is the first anniversary of the Laning Life column, and the last issue of 2020, and boy what a year it has been!

I’m writing this from England for a change, I’ve come back for a few weeks to look after my mum post-surgery and her Land Rover (it's MOT time! I’ve put three Land Rovers through tests in a week!), and in doing so I’ve re-entered a lock down situation! Why not give someone the gift of adventure this

Wales is currently unrestricted when it comes to travel inside the country, and the day after this issue gets published further changes to restrictions will happen, we may even be allowed a Christmas with our families! But I’m not going to even attempt to clarify the covid situation here just in case!

Keep an eye out on the main GLASS Facebook page for updates as they happen.

Laning has been on, off and on again throughout the year, nothing has been black and white. The internet has turned into a free for all of legal disputes and differing opinions, but what has been consistent is the movement towards joining a laning organisation; it has been the busiest year yet in the 25 year history of GLASS! Huge thanks to you all for supporting our hobby through membership!

Why not give someone the gift of adventure this Christmas?

Keep an eye out on the GLASS national Facebook page for information on how to purchase membership as a gift, we’re starting up a new voucher scheme!

But for now, let’s answer a few readers’ questions, as promised I’m dedicating the whole column to you guys and what you want to know…

Readers’ Questions

I’m new to laning, why is there no (really good) app/sat nav?

The app/sat nav question comes up daily. I added in the ‘new to laning’ bit because those of us who are old hats when it comes to navigating unsurfaced roads know that we’ve never had it easier.

I might only be in my 30s, but I didn’t have Google Maps to use when I started driving on tarmac, let alone Trailwise2 or a smart phone to download apps to! Laning information was very time consuming to come by when I started, unlike today when I can check lanes in the whole UK in seconds via a device I keep in my pocket.

Whilst I can see how much easier laning has become, and appreciate that a lot, I can also understand why newcomers to our hobby are often baffled, or a bit disappointed, that locating and navigating lanes isn’t simple!

I also added the ‘really good’ app bit, because there are apps, but they’re not very accurate, and cannot be relied on alone to plan a trip.

Common answers to how to find lanes tend to be along the lines of... "Just look on the definitive map, they're all there!" "Buy an OS map, they're all marked!" "Buy an app, there's loads on them!"

These are common misconceptions though. The Definitive Map (DM) and Statement only covers byways open to all traffic (BOATs), but not unclassified county roads (UCRs), and there are many more UCRs than BOATs open to legally drive. Some of our most well-known lanes won't appear, such as The Wayfarer, because it's a UCR. The DM is a legal document and will stand up in court when it comes to proving legalities, but it doesn't show 'all the lanes', in fact far from it.

OS maps do denote BOATs, but many can be restricted, obstructed, or permanently closed, or may become so. An OS map is not a legal document, and does not contain up to date legal statuses, or give any idea of terrain conditions. Nor does it clearly show unsurfaced UCRs, it shows ORPAs (other roads with public access), but they’re not all legal lanes, or even lanes as we think of them, they may well be tarmacked. The list of streets will contain UCRs, but it'll likely also contain the street you live on.

How do you tell the difference between a tarmacked street and a 'green lane' before you set out?

Apps (of which there are several) contain lanes that others have driven in the past, but ask yourself:

How much research did that person do before driving it?

Has it become obstructed, restricted, or even closed since they drove it?

What's the terrain like?

I don’t know of an app that doesn’t show legally closed lanes, or one that shows even 50% of the total number of legally drivable routes, they are really only a very cursory guide, and the information needs checking before it is used.

All the above need to be used together rather than alone, and then cross checked against each other to ensure a legal day out on the lanes.

But what if there was an easier solution?

TrailWise2 is an interactive database of almost 20,000 BOATs and UCRs that denotes not just their locations, but legal status and warnings of obstructions, restrictions and closures. It also allows users to add comments and photos to assist other users before they drive. BUT, it is not an app.

It was never designed to be an app, it was designed as an online planning tool, and is actually a piece of research (the culmination of 25 years of laning by GLASS members) made available to all who join up.

It is unrecognisable from the original version and now includes user comments, photos, details of restrictions, closures, and obstructions, has GPS tracking, eight different mapping base layers, distance measuring tools, drag and drop a GPX file capability so you can easily check a plotted route, highway authority boundary markers, and is continually updated to bring members more new features.

So, while we don’t have an all singing, all dancing app (at least not yet) things have come leaps and bounds since I started out in the not so distant past, and things will continue to get more user friendly.

What is the easiest way to report a problem on a lane?

A quick and simple one! - www.fixmystreet.com - Simply enter a postcode, street or place name, click on the lane and follow the instructions!

It would be very helpful if you reported the problem to the local GLASS rep via email or the local area Facebook group, that way more reports can be filed and the problem is likely to be addressed more quickly, and TW2 will remain as up to date as possible.

I know it’s OK to cut back branches etc., that you encounter whilst driving a lane if they are preventing passage along the lane, i.e. abating the problem. Slightly different scenario - assuming you walk a lane first to assess its condition, and find it is OK apart from a fallen branch then drive that lane knowing there is a branch blocking it, would that still be classed as abating the problem, or would it fall into planned clearance?

(from Charlie, via the Trailwise2)

Thanks for the question Charlie! Legally speaking spotting an obstruction and then returning equipped to deal with it is classed as 'organised clearance', and should only be done with the blessing of the local authority or land owner, and often with relevant insurance.

It may sound a bit pedantic - at the end of the day if you had a saw with you it’s legal to have cut that same branch on the Saturday, but not on the Sunday if you return knowing you’re going to do it. After all you’re doing every user a favour by removing it whatever day of the week it is - but the law is what it is.

As we see on social media regularly private individuals do this all the time, but from a national organisation’s perspective we run no official GLASS projects without permission and insurance. We have to protect the safety and rights of our members, and all users of the lanes, so we cannot afford to cut corners where the law is concerned.

There is a rumour going around that path extinguishment day in 2026 has not been ‘switched on’ by NERC legislation at the moment. I’m guessing by all the hullabaloo that it has? Unless you know otherwise...

(from Nick - Byways, BOATs & UCRs Green Laning in the UK)

Thanks Nick. PED was given royal assent on 26th March 2015. Over the last couple of years PED has become an increasingly hot topic due to the number of DMMOs submitted, and the lack of time, resources, and money local authorities have to action them all.

There is outcry UK wide about the workload the deadline is imposing on council RoW departments, literally tens of thousands of applications have been submitted and they aren’t stopping either! Councils can extend the deadline by 5 years, but even then it looks unlikely that many will be able to get the backlog shifted by the final cut-off date.

When it comes to any applications to downgrade byways we can all help out by keeping an eye out on local council websites, and opposing any proposed status downgrades, such as byway to restricted byway, bridleway, or footpath.

GLASS is hot on the case to ensure that we oppose the unnecessary loss of any of our network, and that where possible applications for byway status are submitted.

Thanks to NERC there won’t be large numbers of BOAT applications compared to other status RoWs, but where possible applications will be submitted for NERC exempt lanes.

Can I drive past this sign?

The two main signs that are queried are the round ‘no motor vehicle’ and the blue ‘unsuitable for motor vehicles’ sign.

The first one is easy to answer - it simply means no vehicles past this point.

Round signs with red borders are prohibitive, they tell you what you cannot do, and are often accompanied by a second message such as ‘except for access’ which means no motor vehicles unless you are heading to your home/business/land beyond that point in the road. It does not mean recreational users can pass.

The blue ‘unsuitable for motor vehicles’ sign is an information sign, it is advisory. You’ll often see messages such as ‘dual carriage way ahead’, or blue parking signs informing drivers there is a layby ahead, they give us information, what we do with that information is another matter.

Roads with the unsuitable for motor vehicles signs at either end are unlikely to be much fun if you’re driving your nan’s Honda Jazz, but in a 4x4 are often exactly what a laner is looking for. They are usually used because the road is unsurfaced, or is in some way, shape or form more difficult to drive than the average road in the area.

We just need to remember that while such a sign would suggest vehicular rights that this may not be the case, always double check to be sure, but the sign itself is not prohibitive.

Sustainability of driving lanes in winter regardless of the surface. This is something I’d like to see addressed.

(from Nick, via Mega Mud Lifers facebook page)

This is a contentious issue and one that many have very strong feelings about. Lanes are public roads that like any other are legally open 24/7, 365 days a year, and therefore anyone has the legal right to drive them whenever they wish to. But, ok, just because we can doesn’t mean we should, in fact doing so can cause them to become closed to us, which is why GLASS has a code of conduct to follow.

Most responsible users (whether members or not) would probably choose to avoid soft surfaced lanes in wet weather, but those who go out and cause the most damage don’t even respect permanent legal closures let alone temporary or voluntary ones.

If GLASS were to put a blanket voluntary restraint on all lanes from say November to March, it wouldn’t stop those who cause the most problems and damage, it would only prevent a those who already think before they drive from going anywhere over winter.

Many particularly sensitive lanes are subject to seasonal TTROs or VRs already, these are adhered to by the vast majority of our members, but sought out by those seeking a challenge.

Winter/very wet weather is a time most laners concerned with sustainability choose not to lane, or think more carefully about where they lane, but both are peak time for mud pluggers.

I see the arguments for and against, but in my area where the majority of lanes are rocky, often bed rock, wet weather isn’t a factor in sustainability. I do lane in all seasons (but much less frequently in winter), and use winter for clearances as we cannot address significant cut backs during nesting season. November is peak hedge cutting season for GLASS and farmers alike.

One argument we use when facing TROs is that closure is not management, and I think it is pertinent here. The reason closure isn’t management is that people who drive irresponsibly, illegally, or wantonly cause damage will continue to do so irrespective of the legal status of a lane, whether land is public or private, and they’ll continue to do so more often in the wet.

This boils down to being a case for pushing for more prosecutions of those who spoil our hobby rather than inflicting more restrictions on those who enjoy it responsibly.

Is GLASS a cult?

A strange one that’s popped up a lot over the last couple of months! I love this question and loathe it in equal measure!

I can’t help but instantly giggle when it is asked. I find the notion of our next exec. meeting being carried out in a clearing around a bonfire, while we all wear robes and silly hats and bow down to Matt our supreme and fearless leader, whilst chanting his teachings over and over in a monotone while prostrated at his feet, beyond hilarious!

Although it does sound more fun than sitting around a table discussing the latest TRO proposals and project budgets!

On the other hand it’s can be a difficult one as often any ensuing dialogue tends to take an unpleasant turn when the questioner is corrected; some people seem genuinely rather paranoid.

I’m not sure of the origins of this question to be totally honest! GLASS is a national user group, has circa 5000 members, and, at an educated guess, around 20,000 affiliate members. These members are spread all over the UK and abroad, so it’s not a club and we don’t have mass gatherings where we hand out Kool Aid to those in attendance.

Many people join to get access to TW2, and never contact the organisation once, let alone don a robe and come chanting with the rest of us. Reps are spread in every county of the UK, and have little opportunity to meet each other to form covens or dance around waving the skulls of our enemies, and I promise our new videos do not contain subliminal messages - take a look at our latest video on the next page and check out our YouTube channel for more.

We have to maintain an air of professionalism in order to remain a full member of LARA, and to continue our work with local authorities, national parks, and the police force. It would seem fairly obvious that cult status would be difficult to maintain under the circumstances!

Members join online, and may never once speak to any of us, and if that is their choice so be it. They’ll receive emails, bulletins, magazines, access to reps and any events they organise, and be welcome on our social media groups just as any non-member would. I’m not sure where we’re all supposed to be secretly communicating with thousands of others, but the main thing is I can assure you that we’re not planning on lane domination, in fact quite the opposite - we fight to keep them open for everyone, not just our members!

That’s all from me this month folks!

Thank you for following me throughout what has been a trying year for us all! The plans I had for this column pretty much went by the wayside within the first few issues thanks to Covid, just as all our plans for what this year would bring did, but the support and feedback has been great, as have things where it really matters for our hobby.

Despite us not being able to get out as much as we’d have liked our membership has grown beyond all expectations and we will start 2021 with a larger fighting fund than we could have ever hoped to have put aside for projects and legal challenges.

We couldn’t have done it without every single one of you, huge thanks from all of us at GLASS!

We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

See you in 2021! Stay safe and happy laning! Lauren & Celyn (the overlanding dog) x