Idiot 'off-roaders'

[Les Henson]

Well yesterday was rather tarnished by people/vehicles that are percieved by others to be the same as us.

We came across a river crossing and on approach it appeared that a white Frontera was stuck in the middle of the river as it was going back and forth in the middle. There was also two other vehicles coming down the rock steps. We had to wait for them to clear, and it became evident that the white Frontera wasn't crossing the river, but reversing up it. He eventually came to a halt off to one side, in the river, close to the bank. The reason in doing so was that he could be in a good position to film his friends as they crossed.

Fi pointed out to him that what he was doing was wrong and that he should follow GLASS' guidlines. His attitude was one of agression, and incredible ignorance. He eventually exited the river behind the other two vehicles, mounted the grass bank (off the track), stopped, revved his engine, dumped the clutch and sprayed us with mud, stopped again, revved his engine, dumped the clutch, sprayed us again with mud, then did the same for a third time before tearing off up the track. As we continued in the direction this guy had come form, we came across some very fresh extensive damage to the area around the byeway.

The track was fairly even, but the surrounding peatland obviously looked more fun, so the side of the track was badly rutted and damaged, but by the passing of one or two vehicles at high speed.

A track that had been repaired by GLASS a few months previously had this damage:-

On a woodland track you might expect to see this kind of surface, but this was a surfaced track. Stones and mud were sprayed in all directions. Totally unnecessary damage in my opinion.

Second picture of the same area. Damage to the peat bog at the sides can just be seen.

We saw a few other examples of excessive and unnecessary damage. Unfortunately, I can in some way sympathise with walkers etc who come across this sort of thing.

We met a guy From GLASS on saturday (in Sarn Helen?). Dunno if he saw this, but I don't think he's going to be very happy about it either. I can't say for definite that the vehicles we met earlier were responsible for this or not, but the damage had been gone over very recently, and their irresponsible behaviour makes it at least suspicious.

Finally, if any of you come across a very big bald guy with no neck (or brain cells), in a white Frontera, that is stuck and asks for help, you might consider the above story.

Les.

[FridgeFreezer]

Les,

I hope you got his registration and reported him to the police (or if they're not interested, local paper) for the damage/dangerous driving. If nothing else it will get the idea across that some of us actually DO care about the lanes.

[minivin]

Les,

I hope you got his registration and reported him to the police (or if they're not interested, local paper) for the damage/dangerous driving. If nothing else it will get the idea across that some of us actually DO care about the lanes.

We're talking of the media here, they'll take the "hooligan off roader destroying the country side" bit and ignore that it come in from another off roader, don't make good reading otherwise

[GBMUD]

Perhaps we should borrow a white Frontera and get a number plate made up. You can't green-lane without a driving licence.

Chris

[istruggle2gate11]

Ignorance is bliss eh?

Imagine the to-do if he sprayed mud at a bobble hat or horse rider - national news and another nail in the coffin.

They should be shot at dawn!

[pongo]

I saw an advert in the local Friday Ad, a freebie advertising paper. A company which shall remain nameless is advertising green lane days, proposing taking people out for;

" a hard days green laning in Kent. Attempt lanes that have been classed as impossible! Recovery points and off-road tyres a must".

So, they are encouraging large numbers of paying punters to go out and damage lanes which are clearly not fit to be driven at this time of year. We all know what is liable to happen if they encounter walkers/riders etc. and more importantly, if the press sees the resulting impact on the lanes. Also, simply by advertising, they are bringing the activity to the attention of Joe Public. If I was a local reporter looking to get some controversial column-inches, then I would book as a punter and go out to observe, photograph etc. An editor would be very pleased.

So, is this a group simply out enjoying their right to drive these lanes, or is it a group which is undermining the attempts of responsible bodies e.g. GLASS and LARA which are campaigning to secure the long-term access to green laning.

Opinions?

[GBMUD]

I saw an advert in the local Friday Ad, a freebie advertising paper. A company which shall remain nameless is advertising green lane days, proposing taking people out for;

" a hard days green laning in Kent. Attempt lanes that have been classed as impossible! Recovery points and off-road tyres a must".

So, they are encouraging large numbers of paying punters to go out and damage lanes which are clearly not fit to be driven at this time of year. We all know what is liable to happen if they encounter walkers/riders etc. and more importantly, if the press sees the resulting impact on the lanes. Also, simply by advertising, they are bringing the activity to the attention of Joe Public. If I was a local reporter looking to get some controversial column-inches, then I would book as a punter and go out to observe, photograph etc. An editor would be very pleased.

So, is this a group simply out enjoying their right to drive these lanes, or is it a group which is undermining the attempts of responsible bodies e.g. GLASS and LARA which are campaigning to secure the long-term access to green laning.

Opinions?

Do they have an email address? How about sending them a link to the GLASS website?

Chris

[will_warne]

The behavior of some people is sickening. I will certianly remember the Frontera and if he turns up stuck in my neck of the woods he'll be staying there

[Hillbilly Raider]

must be something about these Fronteras, mate of mine was called out to recover a friend of his the other night.

Went out on his own (on road tyres) and got himself stuck some where he should not have been, took my mate King hours to get him back to the road!!

Bet he didnt learn any thing from it though!?

[western]

Bunch of ignorant idiots

[TJ101]

I did think was only i, that noticed more that the usual, "off route" damage to the lanes we used over the weekend !!

A friend took his other half over Sarn Helen on sunday, his first time over for about 6 months,and a local to the area, thread on difflock HERE

Les oh, i hope you have his number, and reported it !!!

[Divster]

I did think was only i, that noticed more that the usual, "off route" damage to the lanes we used over the weekend !!

A friend took his other half over Sarn Helen on sunday, his first time over for about 6 months,and a local to the area, thread on difflock HERE

Les oh, i hope you have his number, and reported it !!!

Unfortunately I witnessed a similar incident on Houndkirk moor (Peak District) over the weekend whilst I was training my search dog. A couple of trucks kept driving (at a fair pace, forcing walkers to stop) up and down the lane. When I next saw them they were off the lane and driving a small track across the moor (not marked on the map and definately not cleared for traffic). As if this werent bad enough, it looked as if they were out to rip up as much of the moor as they could (wheel spins, hard braking). Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to see their plates before they shot off.

[FridgeFreezer]

Just a thought - has anyone found a correlation between lanes featured in magazines, and "extra" damage?

That's not a loaded question, I haven't been laning for ages (usually in the transit ) so have no idea.

[Paul Humphreys]

I saw an advert in the local Friday Ad, a freebie advertising paper. A company which shall remain nameless is advertising green lane days, proposing taking people out for;

" a hard days green laning in Kent. Attempt lanes that have been classed as impossible! Recovery points and off-road tyres a must".

So, they are encouraging large numbers of paying punters to go out and damage lanes which are clearly not fit to be driven at this time of year. We all know what is liable to happen if they encounter walkers/riders etc. and more importantly, if the press sees the resulting impact on the lanes. Also, simply by advertising, they are bringing the activity to the attention of Joe Public. If I was a local reporter looking to get some controversial column-inches, then I would book as a punter and go out to observe, photograph etc. An editor would be very pleased.

So, is this a group simply out enjoying their right to drive these lanes, or is it a group which is undermining the attempts of responsible bodies e.g. GLASS and LARA which are campaigning to secure the long-term access to green laning.

Opinions?

I was out sunday and came across a group that had payed to be lead. A group of 15 including the leader who had taken their money. Everyone got a taking to and told they can go laneing for free, they all got a CRAG flyer as well.

The problem with commercial people is they are out to make money and theres no law to stop the size of groups.

Paul

[Paul Humphreys]

Just a thought - has anyone found a correlation between lanes featured in magazines, and "extra" damage?

That's not a loaded question, I haven't been laning for ages (usually in the transit ) so have no idea.

Yes this makes a lot of difference to the amount of use. One mag prints a "Road Book" we came across a group of people using this road book on sunday. Before we met them someone had beed doing doughnuts on a field. Looking at the tyre tracks and the group we came across it looks like it was them, but as we did not catch them in the act we could not prove it. We just give them a talking to pointing out how bad it was to acting like that.

Paul

[Hillbilly Rebel]

No word on the Shires night run? how did it go Fridge?

[minivin]

No word on the Shires night run? how did it go Fridge?

Didn't know there was one on, didn't get an invite

[FridgeFreezer]

That's because you weren't at the two socials where the Green lanes officer mentioned it

I've no idea to be honest, not heard anything myself but then Mike doesn't "do" e-mail and I haven't got a truck to go in anyway!

Edited to add: Did you mean the previous one a while back? That went really well, everyone enjoyed it even though the lanes driven were quite "tame" the night adds a different dimension to it.

[will_warne]

I was out sunday and came across a group that had payed to be lead. A group of 15 including the leader who had taken their money. Everyone got a taking to and told they can go laneing for free, they all got a CRAG flyer as well.

The problem with commercial people is they are out to make money and theres no law to stop the size of groups.

Paul

About 8 months ago Mo Murphy and I came across a guy in a Vi*ara using a roadbook and driving like a rally driver. We saw him approch at about 40mph in the opposite direction! Our group of 3 then had to go and passify the owner of the land he'd just driven through. I think lanes need to be seen to be used but, unfortunatly, a growing number of idiots seem to be abusing them. I hate to say it but I think there's an increasingly large irresponsible element. I don't know what we can do about it as they just seem to ignore everything they don't want to hear.

[Hillbilly Raider]

In all fairness we cant have a go at other "brands" as the only people who do these things. some LR drivers do it too.

Ayear or two ago the estate manager of a woodland near to me reported to the Parish council that a Landrover had been stopped by one of his guys in woodland it shouldnt have been.

Now the embarrising thing about this was that the said estate manager is a friend of my dads and my dad is on the Parish council!

The Landrover in question had the name of a club all over it and that club happened to be the sameone as the one i was in!

The driver said that his friend knew the area well but also said that they were lost?

Well if the said friend did indeed know the area he would have known that there were NO Byways there!!

To add insult to injury he then parked outside my house with half the woods still under his truck as the manager came past to tell my dad!!!!!

Had to do a lot of sweet talking that day i can tell you!!

[minivin]

[GBMUD]

I guess that most people here do not listen to Radio4's The Archers. (An everyday tale of country folk ) There is a story line running at the moment about abuse of the footpaths and bridleways around the village by "Off-Roaders", cars, motorbikes and quads. One farmer has started blocking the lanes (farm access lanes I think) by building mounds of earth at the ends leaving gaps for "walkers, riders and trail bikes"

I can only imagine that this story line is going to have yet further negative influences on the perception of us by countryside users/landowners (who must be the main audience for The Archers) There has been no clarification yet as to whether the lanes in question are footpaths, bidleways or if they have a higher status. I am a little concerned that this story line may be coming from a position of little understanding of the differences on the part of the writers and may end up giving a false impression of ligitimate byway users.

If you have RealPlayer and you do not think it is too sad you can listen to last week's omnibus for the full story.

Chris

[Mark Jenkins]

I was in the same group as Les and Fiona on Sunday. The Frontera driver was your typical thick thug, not about to be told what to do by anyone, let alone, God forbid, a woman. Fiona had a commendable go at reasoning with him (she suggested looking at the GLASS website before organising a day's laning, for instance) but it was a lost cause - I won't slip into profanities here but you can imagine what our response was.

There was further, recent damage along the track that looked like their tyre patterns. A great shame, as we met some considerate laners that day too.

Mark

[white90]

Thsi is no way a slight on the vehicle being driven

On Exmoor only a few weeks back a group of R/R where driving around on routes that were on private land, totally oblivious to where they should be.

at xmas we were overtaken by groups of 10 or more M/bikes all going flat out.

it is the person driving not the vehicle that does the damage.

[DEANO3528]

I guess that most people here do not listen to Radio4's The Archers. (An everyday tale of country folk ) There is a story line running at the moment about abuse of the footpaths and bridleways around the village by "Off-Roaders", cars, motorbikes and quads. One farmer has started blocking the lanes (farm access lanes I think) by building mounds of earth at the ends leaving gaps for "walkers, riders and trail bikes"

I can only imagine that this story line is going to have yet further negative influences on the perception of us by countryside users/landowners (who must be the main audience for The Archers) There has been no clarification yet as to whether the lanes in question are footpaths, bidleways or if they have a higher status. I am a little concerned that this story line may be coming from a position of little understanding of the differences on the part of the writers and may end up giving a false impression of ligitimate byway users.

If you have RealPlayer and you do not think it is too sad you can listen to last week's omnibus for the full story.

Chris

Nicely manufactured by the government run BBC as propoganda for the NERC bill. Happens everytime the B-liar Witch Project wants to get a message across or discredit an organisation or persons. And to top it all, you have to pay for them to do it!

That's why this and every other bill will never work as only the responsible users will take notice of any restrictions.