NERC

[siggy]

If I am correct the NERC bill doesn't stop the landowners from driving anywhere on there land whether it been reclassified or not..... correct? so say in theory I had the landowners permission, I legal letter I could still drive off road on his land correct? so if a farmer or a group of farmers have a group of lanes and we pay a fee for the privilege they theres nothing legal that could be done?

[honitonhobbit]

If I am correct the NERC bill doesn't stop the landowners from driving anywhere on there land whether it been reclassified or not..... correct? so say in theory I had the landowners permission, I legal letter I could still drive off road on his land correct? so if a farmer or a group of farmers have a group of lanes and we pay a fee for the privilege they theres nothing legal that could be done?

Yes but no!

RoW are just that but farmers don't own them - just the land either side...

[siggy]

so then neither do the walkers and they therefore shouldn't be able to dictate as to who uses them

and they've dictated that to the government

[Hillbilly Raider]

Anyone catch the lunchtime news? seems Mr Blur is going to do what HE wants to (Ref the terrorists) even though the MP's said no.

See a pattern forming here?

[honitonhobbit]

so then neither do the walkers and they therefore shouldn't be able to dictate as to who uses them

and they've dictated that to the government

Shouldn't isn't can't or won't

[siggy]

Who owns the ROW's ?

[PeterW]

I recently sent the letter below via email to my local MP - I found a website when I put his name into Google that enabled me to send it

OK

Fax your MP from here

Edit this text...

Dear [NAME OF MP],

I am contacting you in relation to the NERC bill currently in front of Parliament. I am a keen exponent of using the countryside and travel extensively in my land rover exploring legal rights of way across the UK. I always advocate sensible use of the rights of way with vehicular rights, an option well supported by many of the off road and 4x4 clubs in the UK.

Having said that I share the concerns of other countryside users about damage that can be caused by a very small minority of 4x4 drivers who drive both illegally and without consideration for other users such as walkers and horse riders.

I very concerned that the net result of the NERC bill will further marginalise 4X4 drivers and reduce further the number of rights of way we can drive - thus increasing the risk of damage, without actually hitting the intended target who should be those using the rights of way either illegally or irresponsibly.

Indeed instead of reducing the rights of way that can be driven it would make far more sense to increase the number therefore "spreading the load".

I would welcome restrictions placed on rights of way either by having them locked with the keys being made available through local club rights of way officers or indeed a form of road licence fee where the money raised can be put towards effective policing of the rights of way, or maintaining them (or a combination of the above).

Bearing in mind some of the far reaching and very important business in front of parliament at the moment I know that this may seem an irrelevance. However it seems to me that this is potentially very important bearing in mind the constant drip of this government removing individual’s rights.

As way of indication as to the limited use of the rights of way, in the UK only 5% currently have vehicular rights and of this 5% more than 20% are currently closed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would be grateful for your views and support when reviewing the NERC legislation

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME GOES HERE]

And if it makes anyone feel better, my MP is Paddy Tipping is the Vice President of the Ramblers Association....!!!

Cheers

Peter

[MarkieB]

Just to add a few points:

1. Typical conversation in Whitehall/Birdcage walk/Victoria Street/Westminster Embankment/etcetera:

cunstable: "make a U-turn here sir"

LR driver: "what for contstable?"

cunstable: "There's a group of jeep [ sic ] drivers making a nuisance of themselves. I'm directing you to make a U-turn in accordance with the Road Traffic Act"

LR driver: "Dear, dear. The engine seems to have stalled. I'll try to start it. No luck, dear dear what shall we do?"

cunstable: "Here let me try" .. [various possibilities including a charge for wasting police time/obstructing "here, look, I've got it to start", an arrest for breach of the peace/ an alternative invented offence "I hope you don't mind, I have to refuse to allow you to drive my vehicle, contstable, my relationship with my vehicle wouldn't allow that" LR at the very least towed to a car pound, etcetera.

2. Maybe the French are successful as they're generally risking less, so less vulnerable; eg when 5000 people drive up in POS cars that aren't worth the pound fee to recover, there's less point in towing them; that's possibly connected to the fact that France being more rural, in a case such as this, most of the people protesting would be Landowners/ workers who would really need the right of way to access their houses/work etcetera, rather than recreational drivers. Similarly, on the evening news, the PM would see a clear picture of the kind of people he's mistreating. On a similar note, although the CRS are a different beast, most French gendarmes have got good understanding of the notion of 'the rule of law' ie no point in breaking the law for the purpose of enforcing it, so protests seem to work, on balance, more peacefully. Mostly, though, I suppose that the French recognise their rural community a bit better, understanding that the political machine is mainly an urban creature, while the country itself is much more rural than eg England; thus giving a bit of leeway to protests connected to what makes the country tick.

3. Talking of the distinction between landowners/workers who really need the right of way as compared to recreational drivers, perhaps there's an element of events being the effect rather than the cause; the effect of higher fuel prices, basically recreational 4wd is being turned into a higher price sport, involving only private land. In the UK, there's a good chance that at committee stage/ in the House of Lords, an amendment'll be put in allowing for landowner/worker access, possibly eg involving local council permission. Although that's a PITA, so is F-ing residents' parking! Sign of the times. I've even heard doomsayers clucking on how there'll be less food when the 'oil-to-food' chain breaks, so I suppose such people would say encouraging the country back to horse power has its plus side.

Of course it's right that people who need the access for their homes/work should protest, although maybe the more recreational people [i suppose that includes me although I'm not addicted] should bite the bullet, acknowledge that it's part of rising fuel prices. Hence the reason the ramblers are so successful recently, they aren't spending the fortunes on fuel, at least while walking.