Hi all,

I havn't been laning for months, and took the disco out today on one of my favorite lanes, only to find it has had some maintenance done.

This mainly consists of flattening the ground between ruts, filling ruts in with soil and in some places stones, to make them shallower. Cutting a tree which had obviously fallen down blocking the lane. Cutting water drainage channels across the lane.

This was obviously quite good to know that the lane is being maintained, and could even mean that other lanes in the nearby area which have previously been impassable may now have been sorted. It was slightly annoying as well though since there was no challenge, and apart from the depth of most of the ruts and big undulations I felt it would be possible to drive it in a ford fiesta.

Is byway maintenance something that happens alot nowadays?

Is there any way to get involved in it, or is a local authority matter? I work an odd pattern and have blocks with alot of time off work, so at times I've wondered about taking lane maintenance into my own hands and setting out with some loppers to do this kind of thing by myself. Perhaps greenlane maintenance meets could be organized by forums like this? or perhaps that already takes place?

GLASS does organise lane maintenance from time to time, but it's in conjunction and approval with the relevant highway authority, as it is, after all, a public highway.

Personally I would avoid your own maintenance - the risk of issues popping up is just too long to mention here......public liability insurance being a good starter.

As for the "lack of challenge" - you're lucky that the lane is being maintained. Nowadays there are too many idiots that will happy go out and wreck the lanes without of thought for everyone else.

With whats happening around nowadays - especially in the Peaks, if the lane is not challenging enough then find your nearest Pay and Play where yo kind find challenges to your own limits without any for want of a better way of sating "upsetting anyone".

The lanes that I use most often around Thetford may not be described by many as challenging (most of Norfolk is as best described and mildly undulating) but I still get enjoyment from being out in the middle of now where away from the hussle and bussle.

When the lanes get wet again some of the challenges will come back but I would urge you consider not driving a lane if it will cause serious damage doing so. When budgets get tight at Councils it's often lane maintenance that's one of the first things to get the chop....