Overgrown Byway advice

[snailracer]

There is a lane local to me that is a Byway open to all traffic (and confirmed as such by the man at the council). The lane has been too wet at one end to use until now and has become overgrown.

What are you allowed to do, if anything, to make it passable? Can you do anything to the road surface?

Cheers

Matt

[ejparrott]

I'd get on to GLASS about it, they often arrange working parties to go out and repair lanes.

My own personal view, and it is purely mine and not necessarily legal, is if you have access to MoT Type 1 materials and there's a pothole needs filling in, then do.

[David Sparkes]

There can be an element of 'black ops' (work undertaken without every box ticked and dotted line signed).

If the way is obstructed you are allowed to 'abate' the obstruction, sufficient to gain passage, 'using tools normally carried on the vehicle'. So, always carry such tools when recreational motoring, and 'at all times' if the vehicle security will allow. Unless you have Highway Authority permission (such as a GLASS working party), you are not supposed to set out purely to clear a specific lane. So, always prepare a through route of perhaps four lanes minimum, written down, that you intend to follow. You can always change the route afterwards, through time pressures, tiredness, etc, and go home after any clearance work. However, if anyone challenges you then you show you have a legitimate reason for being out.

A lot of people prefer the macho image of pushing the vehicle through dense undergrowth, but I prefer to cut back as far and as high as I can 'while keeping one foot on the BOAT' (shades of snooker rules). I, and colleagues, will use loppers with extending handles (frequently found in Lidl / Aldi type stores) to improve this reach.

The other advantages of this approach are that, in no strict order,

It takes longer for the regrowth to encroach on the lane again.

It opens the route for other users, such as horse riders, and allows the route to be more safely used by different user groups at the same time (walkers and riders can avoid one another).

Most importantly, if the route suffers from damp, is that an open aspect allows the sun and wind to gain access to the surface, drying it off more quickly. This 'open aspect' was a well recognised requirement when all roads were loose surfaced.

You are not allowed to take away anything you cut down. Anything growing 'between the walls' (fence lines, hedge lines) is fair game to be cut; even a sapling 4" in diameter is only a few years old, but MUST be prevented from becoming a tree. If it grows in the lane it must be left in the lane, so trim the cuttings and lay them along the edge of the lane, or possibly IN any really muddy sections.

HA workers will user a modern expensive chipper to fulfil this objective.

If the tree / hedge / bush is overhanging the lane, but growing in an adjacent field, you must 'give' the offcuts back to the owner of the land, so throw them over the lane boundary. If challenged, it is his responsibility to cut back his overgrowth from the public highway, so invite him to come and fulfil that responsibility if he doesn't like the way you do it.

As part of your normal equipment carried in the vehicle, include spades and shovels, Bullet nosed spades are useful if the ground is at all stony, as they will divert around stones rather than come to a sudden and painful halt. If the ground is wet, look for possible drainage ditches in but alongside the lane that will benefit from clearing out. Initially your work may only make them low areas that hold excess water, but it's a start.

Don't expect to do all the work in one visit, try to avoid the use of power tools, as the noise footprint draws attention. Make repeat visits irregular, so no-one notices a pattern.

It can be rewarding, but don't expect recognition for your contribution to the wider society.

Good Luck.

[Lewis]

That's a great post David, thanks for taking the time to write it

[snailracer]

That is really helpful thank you.

[DrRob]

I always carry a set of loppers in the motor to clear branches etc and follow the guidance given by David.....

[David Sparkes]

Later I realised there were a couple of items I missed ...

Recently I was passenger to a person experienced in driving green lanes, and was amazed to discover that he didn't realise the driving width of a byway is wall to wall (hedge line, fence line, etc). There is no sub-definition of pavement, footway, verge, etc; it's all there to be driven on, you don't HAVE to follow the ruts you can see.

Mind you, in the next breath I must say that deliberately trashing and churning any green edges, just to 'prove' you can, when the wheel marked trackbed is perfectly drivable, is one way of REALLY motivating the antis, who would have us banned.
Providing MORE Motivation for the antis seems counter productive.

The point of mentioning the 'wall to wall' aspect is that, in this context, use that knowledge to clear as much width as you can.

Whether it's lying or flowing, water is the trackbeds worst enemy, so allowing as much access as possible for the drying air and sun should be high on your list of priorities.

There is NO scope for trees growing in the roadway; as this extends from wall to wall there should be NO trees your side of the wall. If incipient trees had been cut down when they were 1" diameter saplings or suckers, no-one would notice or complain, so don't ignore them.

When the saplings get to 4 to 12" in diameter, removing them becomes more difficult and noticeable, even if it is correct. (You should see the size of trees Derbyshire County Council have chopped and chipped from beside Peak District minor tarmac roads this winter).

Ring barking a tree you can't deal with now will stop the problem getting worse.

Don't overlook the value of ratchet action secateurs. ( I have seen them recently in Lidl). They fit easily in the jacket pocket, where they should always be if you are out of the vehicle, and their ratchet action enables them to cut through side branches up to 3/4" diameter. Especially if you have passengers with smaller or weaker hands, this type of secateur enables your companion to help trim the side branches off the larger ones you have lopped, thus allowing the cuttings to be neatly laid along the edge of the lane.

Folding pruning saws are also a useful pocket-able item. Modern ones are sharp, and maintain their edge.

Lastly, if the lane you are planning to maintain will require several visits, do the absolute minimum at each end, and instead concentrate on the centre section. The situation varies, but in some parts of the country, the open aspect of a lane entrance encourages fly-tipping and burnt out wrecks. They may still come, but it's better to delay their visits until you have finished.

Clearly, in all this, use your discretion.

HTH

[Paul Woodward]

Fantastic posts there David. Nothing more to add!

[Darren Roberts]

Recently a lane in Kings Forest (bar Thetford) was graded by the council as it was getting very churned up. Before the grading it was 1 vehicle width, after it was 2.

I spoke to another local GLASS member - they believed it had been done deliberately using the definitive map as identifying the countries of the lane......

[missingsid]

Great comments, I can vouch for the use of folding pruning saws. last week I pollarded a tree at home using one where one of the branches was around six inches dia, the rest two to four inches dia.

The saw had no prblems except where new growth was next to it as this was very flexible and does not saw. If you use sheers on this first the saw will cut the rest with ease!