An email from Network Development Officer, Rights of Way Office, HCC.

If you don't belong to a group fighting for our rights to use the road network in the UK then join now! Otherwise it will be a case of more of this every month.
Pat
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Intention to make Traffic Regulation Orders

In July 2007, the Rights of Way Office of Hampshire County Council wrote to a number of interested parties to solicit their views on the management of motorised traffic in the countryside and, in particular, measures that might be appropriate to protect specific byways from further damage from an unsustainable level of use by mechanically propelled vehicles.

In the intervening period, we have received many contributions to the on-going debate from those who were included in this consultation exercise and also from other interested parties who became aware of the issue from other sources. We have also convened meetings with representatives of the motorised user groups, in order to obtain their detailed views in relation to specific byways and to explore the various options available to safeguard these routes for continued use by the widest sections of our community.

In some cases (e.g. Farringdon BOAT 25), we have been able to secure funding for repairs to the surface of these routes, which will be reopened to motorised traffic once the new material has bedded down.

In other cases, this has not been possible and the County Council has decided that it will be necessary to restrict use by motorised vehicles until such time as the surface can be repaired or the route recovers naturally. We therefore propose to make a number of Orders under section 1 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as shown below:

Officers recommend the imposition of a Seasonal TRO on the following route:

Hawkley BOAT Nos.24 and 26 - Standfast Lane.

An Order prohibiting all motorised traffic from using this route between

1st November and 30th April each year, under s1(b) and 1(f).

Officers recommend the imposition of a Permanent TRO for all mechanically propelled vehicles on the following routes:

Buriton BOAT No.45, under s1(b)

Chawton BOAT No.10, under s1(b)

East Meon BOAT No.42 - Halnaker Lane. Upgrade the existing TRO
(which currently applies only to four-wheeled vehicles) north of HMS Mercury to include all motorised vehicles, under s1(a), s1(b) and s1(e).

Farringdon BOAT No.26, under s1(b)

Four Marks BOAT No.25, under s1(b)

Rockbourne BOAT No.32 - section east of the Rockbourne Road only, under

s1(b) and s1(c).

Whitsbury BOAT No.19a, under s1(b) and s1(c).

Officers recommend the imposition of a Permanent TRO on the following route:

Fareham BOAT 125 - Glen Road, under s1(f), to prevent fly-tipping.
Limited to mechanically propelled vehicles with three or more wheels.

Plans showing the routes of the proposed closures can be found at:

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/row/tro-proposed.htm

Legal Notices to this effect were posted on site and in the local press in October 2008 and Officers are currently collating feedback from representatives of user groups and individual members of the public. If you wish to make your views known, either for or against the proposal, please forward them to:

Andrew Jones

Network Development Officer

Rights of Way Office, HCC

Rm 200, Mottisfont Court

High Street

Winchester SO23 8ZF

E-mail andrew.jones@hants.gov.uk Tel 01962 846891

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me via telephone, e-mail or mail at the contact details shown above.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Jones

Network Development Officer

you do realise you go up against royalty every time you challenge one of thses things...it is a tough cause....

the problem is that the right to use the lanes stems from ancient rights of passage that are wildly outdated.. I don't see why HRH should be allowed to go down a lane with a cart FOR FUN if I am not allowed to drive down it for the same reason....

at the same time of course, the costs of maintaining these roads must run to dozens of pounds a year.. can't expect taxpayers to pay that can we

is there a unified national campaign on 'our' side in this or are laners fragmented and disorganised as they go up against green wellies and blue blood...

Join GLASS or LARA or the TRF now of forever shut up about losing the rights to any green lanes. If you don't join or help in some way then you are part of the problem of not caring enough.
This is why we are now in such a state.

im sure most people whether member of a group or not would be willing to help out repairing lanes for a day if summat was organised

did last year - Grippa notified us - and the TOSSERS helped out.

That does help a bit, but a lot of lanes are lost as the councils will not accept help repairing them. This of course is a precursor to them being able to TRO them at the winging request of landowners and walkers. These are the people we have to fight to keep them open to vehicles.

Personally I would start a "ban all horses from roads and green lanes and bridleways" as they are all 1 step away from loopy and liable to bolt and kick out at any time.

I dindt mean that was all that was necessary - I believe it was carried out under the auspices of HCC anyway. As you said above - those that enjoy this hobby aught to, as a minimum, be members of GLASS, and abide by their recomendations.