NERC2 is looming!

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BOOMER

BOOMER

Bloke from Dorset
Posts
6,051
Location
All Over Dorset and beyond.
How many of you are aware that NERC2 is quietly moving its way through the various stages of parliament and could be imposed upon us with little warning?
This De-Regulation Bill is apparently now at the Committee Stage.

Have a look on this website for starters: http://www.gleam-uk.org/ and read carefully....

Adopt an apathetic attitude towards it at your peril, if we wish to continue enjoying our hobby we have to collectively start to make some radical changes in our approach to it, the time has come to work together, to banish our image as the pariahs of the countryside and how the public perceive us.

Everyone needs to start making records of the lanes they use and take photographic evidence to prove that the lane has been used by a motorised vehicle and has been undamaged by that use - if we cannot prove the lanes are being used we're going to lose them, any evidence will need to be submitted to any of the following:
  • GLASS
  • LARA
  • Local 4x4 club
  • Council RoW department
Yes, some of the photographs on the GLEAM site do not show us in a good light but I suspect someone has been very economical with the truth and very selective about which photographs to use in their publicity and on their website yet sadly there is a hardcore amongst us who do not care about the damage they inflict on the countryside and are inevitably tarring us all with the same brush.

It is time for the responsible greenlaners amongst us to start reporting or educating those who are going to get us banned that UCRs and BOATs are not for mud plugging, it is time for a proactive movement to turn around the perception of our hobby before it is too late.....
 
BOOMER said:
How many of you are aware that NERC2 is quietly moving its way through the various stages of parliament and could be imposed upon us with little warning?
This De-Regulation Bill is apparently now at the Committee Stage.

Have a look on this website for starters: http://www.gleam-uk.org/ and read carefully....

Adopt an apathetic attitude towards it at your peril, if we wish to continue enjoying our hobby we have to collectively start to make some radical changes in our approach to it, the time has come to work together, to banish our image as the pariahs of the countryside and how the public perceive us.


Everyone needs to start making records of the lanes they use and take photographic evidence to prove that the lane has been used by a motorised vehicle and has been undamaged by that use - if we cannot prove the lanes are being used we're going to lose them, any evidence will need to be submitted to any of the following:
  • GLASS
  • LARA
  • Local 4x4 club
  • Council RoW department
Yes, some of the photographs on the GLEAM site do not show us in a good light but I suspect someone has been very economical with the truth and very selective about which photographs to use in their publicity and on their website yet sadly there is a hardcore amongst us who do not care about the damage they inflict on the countryside and are inevitably tarring us all with the same brush.

It is time for the responsible greenlaners amongst us to start reporting or educating those who are going to get us banned that UCRs and BOATs are not for mud plugging, it is time for a proactive movement to turn around the perception of our hobby before it is too late.....
Click to expand...

Well said, Boomer and I have to agree completely. The present situation of severely reduced byway access has come about due to apathy of byway users. And sadly it looks like the same may come true with NERC2, leading to loss off access on many more routes. :(
 
No Daft, absolutely no burying heads in the sand required :p

You don't see the ramblers ever doing that and look how far their persistence has got them, especially taking into account how the actions of the less responsible 4x4 owners have played right into their hands.

As FK 'edited' your post with the addition of 'carry on laning', that is true, but that will only work up to a point - if the lanes are closed because we buried our heads in the sand we can no longer legally enjoy our hobby.
If we choose to carry on we are greenlaning illegally, we risk section 59 and our vehicles condemned to the crusher.

Now I know the ramblers very successfully got their Right To Roam but we won't be so lucky.
I've never looked at greenlaning as a god given right, it is a privilege to do what we do and it's long overdue for a proactive and innovative approach to preserve that privilege, time to put back some of what we have all taken.

As I said in the original post we need to:

1) change our image
2) have our own code of conduct, expanding the existing GLASS code of conduct to a new level.
3) be conscientious in our use of lanes, how we impact on them and remember that we share them with others on foot/horseback etc
4) we need to self police and report those who are spoiling it for the rest of us
5) we need to keep records of lanes used both on paper and photographically to prove that those lanes are in constant use
6) lobby parish councils/MPs or even invite them out to see how responsible greenlaners behave

C'mon people, wake up, this is real and it is likely to happen, the 'f*ck em' attitude just won't do this time.....
 
O.k so taking an MP around some of the mud ruts in Wiltshire isn't exactly going to win friends and influence people.

Although the lanes were fabulously technical to a point of A to B without being stuck in mud.

Trying to put a positive spin on laning is going to involve some serious brain strain?

So imagine standing in a church hall with thirty dribbing and frothing GLEAM agents (reminds me of that US comedy) the positives are.....

1. Rambler Rescue
2. Wilderness driving.
3.
4.


Feel free to copy, paste and continue.
 
Funkykipper said:
O.k so taking an MP around some of the mud ruts in Wiltshire isn't exactly going to win friends and influence people.

Although the lanes were fabulously technical to a point of A to B without being stuck in mud.

Trying to put a positive spin on laning is going to involve some serious brain strain?

So imagine standing in a church hall with thirty dribbing and frothing GLEAM agents (reminds me of that US comedy) the positives are.....

1. Rambler Rescue
2. Wilderness driving.
3.
4.


Feel free to copy, paste and continue.
Click to expand...

To continue:

3) keeping lanes cleared back of overgrowth leading to easy access for all.
4) giving disabled people equal rights to those of able bodied people to access the countryside

Showing an MP a responsible and conscientious side to our hobby would be advantageous before wallowing down muddy ruts, thus showing the pitfalls of possible overuse and proving a new approach to greenlaning is the right thing to do.

Perhaps as a GLASS rep you could be offering constructive ideas on how things can be turned around so it might be more conducive to the issue at stake, isn't GLASS all about promoting responsible use and preserving our ancient rights of way so we can continue to use them?

I'm thinking of a practical approach to be publicly seen to be doing, trying to appease a room full of crazed bobbles is a skill not many of us have....
 
BOOMER said:
To continue:

3) keeping lanes cleared back of overgrowth leading to easy access for all.
4) giving disabled people equal rights to those of able bodied people to access the countryside

Showing an MP a responsible and conscientious side to our hobby would be advantageous before wallowing down muddy ruts, thus showing the pitfalls of possible overuse and proving a new approach to greenlaning is the right thing to do.

Perhaps as a GLASS rep you could be offering constructive ideas on how things can be turned around so it might be more conducive to the issue at stake, isn't GLASS all about promoting responsible use and preserving our ancient rights of way so we can continue to use them?

I'm thinking of a practical approach to be publicly seen to be doing, trying to appease a room full of crazed bobbles is a skill not many of us have....
Click to expand...

Oh absolutely, and it's seriously hard work.

But how do we expect the rest of the community to assume or guess how to proceed if we don't offer discussion and constructive ideas for them to follow.

Landyzone offers a huge resource for people to go greenlaning but I bet a vast amount are not members of GLASS.

So help them by understanding the basics of what we are trying to do by including them in a possible devils advocate discussion.

I know my job and how to do it, but we need to educate and not expect people to know what to do.

Trying to appease a room full of bobbles is something we all have to be prepared to do, but also groups of bobbles out on the lanes with constructive reasons why we all enjoy laning.
 
Last edited:
Funkykipper said:
Oh absolutely, and it's seriously hard work.

But how do we expect the rest of the community to assume or guess how to proceed if we don't offer discussion and constructive ideas for them to follow.

Landyzone offers a huge resource for people to go greenlaning but I bet a vast amount are not members of GLASS.

So help them by understanding the basics of what we are trying to do by including them in a possible devils advocate discussion.

I know my job and how to do it, but we need to educate and not expect people to know what to do.
Click to expand...

In that case there's no time like the present to start is there?

PS - I'm not trying to tell you your job either, we are both experienced in what we do and share a common goal, maybe pooling our respective mental resources is a way to spread the message (and educate those who are not) through LZ....

Laters, I gotta go do some work
 
BOOMER said:
In that case there's no time like the present to start is there?

PS - I'm not trying to tell you your job either, we are both experienced in what we do and share a common goal, maybe pooling our respective mental resources is a way to spread the message (and educate those who are not) through LZ....

Laters, I gotta go do some work
Click to expand...

Education is the key and spreading the good word among the flock by those prepared to give up their time.

But we all have to be singing from the same hymn sheet.
 
I can only comment for my own area.. but round here I wont walk or ride my horse on a boat or a byway, as they are usually not enjoyable

but I do want to see boats and byways kept open and better signage
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
bury em in the sand?
Click to expand...

Well, yu will still have a clearer view than the legislators if yu do!:rolleyes:

If you are not already a member, joining one of the pro-laning lobby groups GLASS or TRF would be an excellent way of fighting this. They could use the funding, and the numerical support, their website is very interesting as regards highway matters anorl.
I think there are processes by which interested parties can make representation to the sub committee which is considering the draft legislation, as well as indirectly via MPs and councillors. I am afraid I do not know how this is done, I looked on the GLASS site but there was no specific info that I could find. I will see what I can find out.
 
SteNova said:
I can only comment for my own area.. but round here I wont walk or ride my horse on a boat or a byway, as they are usually not enjoyable

but I do want to see boats and byways kept open and better signage
Click to expand...

It was a real pleasure laning in Wiltshire because all the lanes are signed and there is a balance.

All the walkers were happy and horse riders too.

Mainly because we stopped or slowed down for them, waved, smiled and were generally courteous.

Although I did come across three trail riders who had just come off a TRO'd lane and one of them sped past me showering my Landy with mud.

Totally unacceptable behaviour.

It's going to be a mammoth task to keep the nasty NERC at bay as there are so many people out there using it as their retirement focus and we really do not have much of a leg to stand on.

So to start, let's draw up ten positive things about our pastime that we can work on to take to the non believers.


Over to you......
 
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1: Getting children out and about.
My 6 YO and to a lesser degree, my 9 YO do not have the stamina for walks over 4 - 5 miles. Therefore we regularly start out walks from a remote point, often on a byway.

2: Brings additional money into an area (accommodation, food, fuel etc).

3: Laners normally leave gates as they find them. I was told by a farmer in Wales that big groups of walkers often leave the gates open / closed as the back of the group is not in communication with the front.
 
I am a member of GLASS, but we dont have a local rep, so no guidance there then :confused::confused:
 
suew said:
I am a member of GLASS, but we dont have a local rep, so no guidance there then :confused::confused:
Click to expand...
Cornwall has just got an area rep after some years without, I might try and email him, see if he has any comment.
As I posted earlier, I looked on the website, but didn't seem to be much about the NERC2 campaign, althoughplenty of suggestions and appeals for funding re. fighting TROs etc.
Just a thought,Sue, but you seem to be rapidly becoming a green lane master, how about volunteering to be area rep ;):)
 
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