Lobby Your MP - Don't Let Greenlaning Become Illegal

[NylonAdmiral]

Chaps

You are probably all aware of the potential impact of the proposed "deregulation bill". If you're not, you need to read about it pretty quickly. It's been covered in Total Offroad and is covered quite a bit on the Green Lane Association Facebook page.

You may remember that when NERC came in in 2006, a large number of routes (approximately 50%) were closed to motor vehicles, thus significantly reducing the number of available places we could drive the vehicles we all care so much about.

You may also be familiar with a number of the rambling communities which are actively trying to highjack the deregulation bill. GLEAM (think of them as like the SS of the rambling community), are trying to make it so that the deregulation bill removes all vehicular rights of way to BOATS.

If this happens, there would be no more public-access off roading. For any of us.

Fortunately there are a number of organisations which are working in our favour (GLASS, Tread Lightly, LARA, TRF etc) but they don't get much support.

The people who want us kicked off the byways are far more active than those of us that wish to maintain access to them.

I don't know what the answer to all this is but I can tell you what I'll be doing, in the hope it leads any of the rest of the offroading community to follow suit.

I will be writing to my MP and explaining why she should support maintained vehicular rights of way.

These will include points about:

Historical use.
Benefits to the economy.
Access for the disabled.
Responsible recreational use.
Fair access to the countryside.
etc etc

I will also ask her to define her official position on public rights of way, making it clear that I will only vote for candidates that support vehicular access to BOATS. There are currently a number of MPs engaged in consultation over the deregulation bill but there is almost no discussion with members of the offroading community compared to discussion with people from the rambling community. This means that the consultation will be very heavily weighted against us unless we speak up.

I know Scottie insists that members of this club don't bring it's name into disrepute by going "off piste" and by following appropriate codes of conduct when laning. This is really important as anything stupid that 4x4 owners do gives more ammunition to those that want to kick us off the lanes.

When I use Salisbury Plain, I have actually stopped a few times to talk to land wardens to see if there are any areas in particular that they would prefer I avoided due to over use. In most cases they are actually really cool. I have spoken to one of the head land wardens a couple of times and he actually laughed and joked with me, encouraging me to try and make it through a 4ft water trough.
He just asked me to stay off the airfield as the MOD were getting pissed off with large groups of Land Rovers ripping it up. If you give them reason to do so, they will TRO the lanes.

I've joined GLASS as they legally challenge byway closures.

Anyway, I would encourage you to write to your MP and express the same sentiment I have detailed above. I was going to make a downloadable template so all you had to do was sign your name on it and post it but the letters will carry much more weight if they are individually written.

LARA have produced a fact sheet which gives some great pointers to include. You can view it here:

http://www.alrc.co.uk/downloads/deregul ... tsheet.pdf

Don't know which MP is supposed to represent your consituency in parliament? This website will tell you by entering your postcode:

http://www.writetothem.com

"Public apathy is more powerful than public opinion. There's more of it." ~ Dr Jim Boren

If we are apathetic and don't do anything to protect our way of life, then the antis will continue to gain traction and more lanes will be TRO'd.

I really don't want to sound like a pariah, I just know that for many of us offroading is more than just a hobby, it's a big part of our lives and I want to protect that.

[Ladaman]

Very well put.

I have been doing a bit of digging around myself this last week,
the local council ROW officer has been very helpful, and the council website is also pretty good for finding local byways.

It was only last night I was on the GLASS website with view to joining, and I think I will tonight. If only to allow me access to maps to allow me to more easily find legal byways.

Regarding your point over making a letter template be available. I think this would be worthwhile, as staring at a blank sheet of paper to compose a letter can be quite daunting to many. A similar letter (probably not to the same MP) is better than no letter in my opinion.

I also like to walk in the local area, but feel strongly the countryside should be for all, including responsible motor vehicle users, but as ramblers out number us massivley, they will make the most noise.

So come on, lets make some noise and get our side of the discussion over.

[NylonAdmiral]

Thanks Ladaman,

I had hoped this would be seen positively.

To be honest, I might just write five different letters and post them so that people can pick one at random and print it out.

If you want to find local byways and be sure about legal rights of way, your local council should maintain something called the "definitive map".

This shows all current legal rights of way for various different users. Being in Wiltshire, here's mine:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityan ... apping.htm

If you join GLASS, be aware they are a small organisation without a lot of resources. It took them ages to send my stuff through because they only have one person working on applications and there was a recent bereavement in their family.

GLASS is useful for a number of reasons, I particualrly like that they have "area reps" who help iron out ROW disputes in your area and also provide consultation.

The problem we face as a community is that we have a small number of irresponsible users who get all the attention. I think it would be great if those of us that can form a coherent argument (rather than just shouting "F@$K you it's my RIGHT to be here"), could actually show a little solidarity and do something positive. If we sit idly by then the likes of GLEAM won't even have to do anything as they'll have already won.

[Ladaman]

Five letters!! Good on ye.

I'm sure one will be fine.

Here are the links supplied by my ROW officer for Kirklees and neghbouring councils.

Maybe Scottie can put these is a "special" area.

http://map.kirklees.gov.uk/publicrights ... fault.aspx

http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/siteinfo/o ... vices/map/

https://maps.bradford.gov.uk/LocalViewe ... ROWPublic/

http://cms.esriuk.com/leedscc/Sites/LCCPROW/

https://stratus.pbondemand.eu/connect/barnsley/

http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CultureAndL ... efault.htm

I've not checked them all yet, but I'm sure they are useful.

Another good idea I found last night when searching for laning routes, I think it was on the Land Cruiser site. Was actual green lane routes!! A very rare find. Unfortunately to view them you have to have made at least 50 posts.

Could SCUK do something similar?

[NylonAdmiral]

Some good resources there.

My only word of caution would be that I'm pretty sure (although welcome to be corrected) that it is only the local council's "definitive map" which counts as being accurate.

Every other resource depends on the owner/publisher continually updating it to reflect the definitive map.

I certainly have come across routes marked on other resources which are incongruent with the definitive map. So far, the definitive map has always been right but that could be coincidence.

If Scottie did want to make a sticky or something, I'm sure it would be fairly easy to collate links to the definitive map in each county or something.

That's great that the local ROW officer was kind enough to supply you with so much information.

[dan_2k_uk]

I have contacted my MP through the write to them link.

The software on that site automatically filters copy and paste type letters so a pre-written letter is worthless.

(I'm sure they just discount copy and paste type.stuff if it is sent to them manually anyway)

[NylonAdmiral]

Yeah that's why I'd hoped people would write something themselves.

I'd only considered the templated ones so they could be printed and posted. As Ladaman says, a similar-ish letter may be better than no letter at all.

Good job for sending it though!

[NylonAdmiral]

I thought I'd update this as I've actually been reading the draft deregulation bill this evening and it's pretty grim.

Here's the part's which we should all be aware of:

"BOATS and UCRs
147. The additional provision which elicited by far the greatest number of responses was
that Byways Open to All Traffic (BOATs) and unsealed Unclassified County Roads (UCRs)
should be re-classified as Restricted Byways and closed to vehicular traffic. Over one third
of responses to our Call for Evidence urged support for this reform..
148. The Peak District Green Lanes Alliance (PDGLA) explained the argument:
The minor rights of way network consists predominantly of unsealed highways. ...
Such lanes do not form part of the normal transport network but (apart from
agricultural and land management use) mainly serve recreational purposes for both
vehicle and non-vehicle users. In the early days of motoring this dual use could be
accommodated. However the growing number of heavily powered off-road vehicles,
many equipped with deep treads, is now causing unacceptable problems. ... The
problems caused are of two types. Firstly, there is physical damage both to the lanes
themselves and the wider environment. ... Secondly, there is increasing conflict with
non-vehicle users and local communities.228
149. Patricia Stubbs, of the PDGLA, elaborated on the deregulatory nature of the proposal
in oral evidence and also said that it would save “a large amount of public money” because
it would reduce the need for repair work.229
150. The Green Lanes Environmental Action Movement (GLEAM), which supports the
PDGLA proposals, also proposed that a right of appeal against inaction or unreasonable
refusal by highways authorities in respect of requests for Traffic Regulation Orders under
the RTRA 1984 should be created, as a further mechanism for protecting unsealed BOATs
and unclassified UCRs against damage by recreational off-road motor vehicles
.
230
151. We asked the SWG panel about the issue. Mrs Emrys-Roberts said that it was an issue
which had been brought to the attention of Defra by the SWG and that it was “something
that needs to be dealt with”.231"

What does this mean for us?

If you read the first section it shows that the regulation could turn all byways and all unsealed classified roads into restricted byways.

If that happens, we'd be screwed.

Furthermore, the regulators seem to primarily only be hearing from the antis, particularly the nazis from GLEAM. In fact over one third of respondents have supported that all byways become restricted, with no vehicular access!

This demonstrates exactly why we need to try and write to our MP's. Right now, the only people they're hearing from are the people that want our byways closed for good.

[NylonAdmiral]

As I've been reading more of the bill, I just received a situation report from GLASS.

I've copied and pasted it below:

GLASS Situation report, 10 April 2014.

The progress of the Deregulation Bill through Parliament seems to have slowed from the original predicted timetable. The Bill has been through its Committee Stage in the House of Commons, and now has to have the Report Stage (at which MPs can move amendments from the floor) and then Third Reading (MPs cannot move further amendments).

It is therefore important to keep the letter-writing to MPs going, not least because we may have problems in the House of Lords, and will then depend on MPs to put it right again. Once an MP has had a letter then the Bill is a live issue for him or her.

It looks increasingly likely that the Report Stage and Third Reading will now not happen before the end of the Parliamentary session, and that the Bill will ‘carry over’ into the next session, after the Queen’s Speech on 4 June. Even if the Commons squeezes it through before Parliament is prorogued, it is very unlikely to get into the House of Lords before June.

Our Team have started meeting with Peers with an interest in motoring and access matters, and will continue to develop these links. We are reasonably sure that the ‘antis’ will be briefing Peers to seek amendments against us, and we want Peers to ensure that the Government’s promise of an objective inquiry and a public consultation process holds the line.

Individuals cannot lobby Peers directly (but if you know any, do please make contact with them) but we can and should engage with the democratic part of Parliament, and keep writing to, and meeting with, MPs.

There is a lot still going on, and a lot more to do besides. Contact with your MP is still important because even if the Deregulation Bill passes into law as drafted we will then face a round of consultation and a fresh Bill specifically focused on unsealed roads. This latter option will inevitably result in some new restriction on ‘green lane’ activities for motorists but the level of this new restriction will depend on the strength of our lobbying.

[ScottieJ]

I have shared a lot of what you have posted over on the Difflock forum, seems to be very quiet on the subject over there!

I will be writing to my local MP tomorrow and will also post a link to this thread on out Facebook page.