On or around Fri, 12 May 2006 16:04:04 +0100, Ian Rawlings
<
[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>On 2006-05-12, Matthew Maddock <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Not necessarily, Garburn Pass [now closed :-(] operated a pass scheme
>> which had to be renewed monthly as it had gates with a combination
>> lock, and the passcode changed every month. If they didn't like you
>> they could always deny you a permit!
>
>Sounds good to me, although it seems that even that wasn't enough
>restriction if they've since closed it!!
uncharacteristically, I've been reading this thread...
the "organised convoy" brigade, especially such convoys of modified
mud-plugging vehicles, have IMHO a lot to answer for. I personally know of
one byway that has been closed purely because a bloke who shall be nameless
(but rumour has it that he's moved to Cyprus) over-used it for such activity
and rendered it in such a mess that you'd not get a standard LR more than
about 5 yards. Then, of course, having trashed the lane proper, they start
deviating from the course and cutting up the moorland (which will take years
to recover).
Before this activity it was a little-know and lightly-used lane and the
locals (most of whom, now, are very much anti thanks to the abuse and so
forth they endured from so-called "off-roaders" although they all use LRs
themselves) didn't have a problem with it. "commercial" use of this lane
has queered the pitch in this area for anyone wanting to take a few standard
vehicles on a mild, sensible run, and has lead to the inevitable TRO once
the council got its arse in gear.
IMHO, if you want to play mud-pies and test your modified off-roader to the
limit against the terrain, f*ck off to a private dedicated site and do it
there. There are plenty of such sites nowadays and there's no excuse
whatever for going around carving up the countryside and spoiling it for
everyone else.
as for the rest, in more-or-less standard vehicles, then have the common
sense you're supposed to get at birth and if the ground looks iffy and prone
to damage, don't bloody drive it, turn around and go somewhere else.
If things go on as they are, all bar for a few high-profile places where
people put in the time and effort to keep the road maintained will be
inevitably be closed. A lot of the blame for this is with the morons who
fancy playing in their newly-acquired "jeep" but to be brutally honest, a
good part of it is with organised clubs etc. who are over-using a limited
resource (to whit, the lanes network) in organised runs and so forth,
likewise the various magazine-sponsored runs which are inevitably
high-profile, and in most cases not putting the effort back in.
And please don't start telling me "it's the council's job to maintain the
lanes in usable condition", since a) I know that and b) the councils, in my
observation, don't manage that well at keeping up maintenance on the normal
road network. I'm sure the council would be quite happy to have a crew of
blokes to maintain the green lanes, but would you (collective you) be happy
to pay the increased council tax to pay for it?
So, to summarise, we need to:
1) continue to increase the number of off-road "pay and play" style sites
and improve them to appeal to more people.
2) use those sites for the majority of "off-roading" and ALL "mud-plugging".
3) limit the use of lanes to the sort of traffic volume they can take.
4) continue to liaise with the local authorities about "green lane repair
days" and the like and do more of them. I know in some areas a lot of good
work is done, but in many areas none is.
The way I see it, anything less than the above is going to result, probably
within 10 years, in no off-tarmac access for vehicles (other than farmers
and so forth) at all.
--
Austin Shackles.
www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"Nessun maggior dolore che ricordarsi del tempo felice nella miseria"
- Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321) from Divina Commedia 'Inferno'
