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Muddy hell...Look what 4x4 fans are doing to our lane (From Worcester News)
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Muddy hell...Look what 4x4 fans are doing to our lane
4:10pm Thursday 29th December 2011 in News
By Richard Vernalls, @rvernallsWN #worcsnews
Peopleton county councillor Rob Adams and parish councillors David Wall and Les Bailey say the lane may have to shut.
OFF-ROAD fanatics have so badly rutted a country lane it may have to be shut, say councillors.
Over-enthusiastic use of lanes by thrill-seeking 4x4 drivers spending their free time driving up the pathways has left one unpassable. The green lane, which is part of the public highway, in Peopleton, near Pershore, is the most serious example of how much damage has been done.
County councillor Rob Adams and the parish council say they are now “discussing a six-month closure order” to allow the lane “to recover”.
The lane runs from Norchard Lane in Peopleton to the B4082 near Seaford and is popular with walkers, ramblers and horse riders.
However, the lane – which is just over a mile in length – is for the most part dirt-track and ruts have been carved up to 3ft deep, filling with water and making it look more like Army trench works than a lane, according to locals.
Councillors admit that ditch clearance and hedge cutting in the fields either side would aid drainage, but would leave the ruts.
But the main problem is 4x4 drivers using the track at all hours of the day for the thrill of off-roading, which has deepened ruts making the lane impassable after recent wet weather.
Coun Adams said: “Everyone is entitled to use the lane, that’s agreed.
“But the enjoyment of these 4x4s is stopping the enjoyment of all the people who walk dogs along the lane and take in the magnificent views from the top of the lane.
“You can look out and see Bredon Hill and the Malverns and then the top of the church at Upton Snodsbury.
“We’re appealing to their better nature to leave off the lane for a bit and let it recover, otherwise we’ll have to have it shut.”
Coun Adams said there were similar problems with lanes around nearby White Ladies Aston.
Parish council chairman David Wall said: “The 4x4s have caused considerable damage, making it unsafe for other people to use. It usually happens during night time so it has been difficult to stop the vehicles.”
Coun Les Bailey, the parish council’s footpath warden, said: “It’s not just one vehicle, they’re coming in groups of four or five because if one gets stuck, they can pull the other out.”
One Land Rover off-road enthusiast, who did not want to be named, said if the road was public there was little the council could do.
He said: “Another argument would be if the council owns the road and gets road tax to maintain roads, why is it not being maintained properly?”
Comments(18)
Sleepless in Droitwich
says...
6:40pm Thu 29 Dec 11
Boys and their Toys......I wonder why this "enthusiast" didn't want to be named.
Piccolo
says...
7:14pm Thu 29 Dec 11
New Kid on the Block
says...
7:56pm Thu 29 Dec 11
If the off roaders were to use a little common sense and keep off in wet weather we could all co-exist quite happily.
If you want to practice the more extreme forms of off road driving there are proper facilities available but you have to pay to use them.
GLASSrep
says...
9:17pm Thu 29 Dec 11
2. The ruts on Norchard Lane were originally caused by agricultural traffic and irresponsible 4x4 users have taken advantage of the muddy conditions to get their cars dirty.
3. The bad ruts on this lane only exist where the width of the route is restricted by a ditch to the North and small trees to the South. The remainder of the unsurfaced road although rutted is not as muddy because traffic can use the entire width of the road.
4. Education is the key to solving this problem - educate those who are using it when the surface is unsuitable, educate land owners so they are aware of their responsibility to make good any damage their vehicles cause and educate local residents that by and large rural roads are in the best condition they have ever been in (i.e. tarred and free from highwaymen).
broken6
says...
1:53am Fri 30 Dec 11
There are many lanes around the county with similar problems. The only solution is to block them off or resurface them with suitable materials?
Harry The Spider
says...
4:23am Fri 30 Dec 11
Nicky Wilkes
says...
11:50am Fri 30 Dec 11
I respect it may need limited use by vehicles, but don't permanantly close it. Clubs like Redditch4x4 go green laning regularly and we try to teach the correct ways of using 'PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY'. There is never a need to go more than 8-10mph or off piste and respect all property, and as long as this is adhered to, I can't see any issues.
I have no issues mentioning our club name, and if anyone ever sees a member representing it in a disrespectful manor please do not hesitate to contact us and I will do my upmost to resolve the issue as we deserve the right to use the lanes as much as anyone and we want to keep it that way.
Nicky Wilkes
says...
12:02pm Fri 30 Dec 11
Vox populi
says...
12:49pm Fri 30 Dec 11
I am little confused by this statement as it suggests that a human with 2 legs or indeed a dog with 4 cannot use a rutted track?
"Over-enthusiastic use of lanes by thrill-seeking 4x4 drivers spending their free time driving up the pathways has left one unpassable"
Really? Are ruts caused by excessive speed as this suggests? Are 4x4 drivers thrill seekers? More a term I would apply to sky diving I am afraid. Looking at that picture any 4x4 would have difficulty travelling that lane at speed… (Unless in a Challenger 2 or Pinzgauer)
Nobody should ruin anything for anyone regardless of their hobby and with a bit of consideration and less dramatisation I am sure this can be solved…..
Oh and if the road is council owned then it is their responsibility to maintain it using our road tax - much the same as the ruts left in the inside lanes of motorways by HGVs….
Oh and get some arms folded in that photo! ;-)
SkipMaster
says...
2:35pm Fri 30 Dec 11
If there really were "3ft deep ruts" in the lane then why are the two Councillors standing in just six inches of mud, surely they would have ventured into the deeper ruts to make their point more forcefully…..
DarrenM
says...
7:32pm Sat 31 Dec 11
Also some classic 'nimbyism' from the locals in the headline - "our lane" - so they own it do they?
and Piccolos reply "And why should the rest of us foot the bill for its mis-use" - Agreed, none of my direct or indirect taxes should be used to fund any road maintenance outside of Worcestershire ?!?!
Harry The Spider
says...
8:35pm Sat 31 Dec 11
"Tractor" or "exaggeration"?
Bribe.A.Burger
says...
9:12am Mon 2 Jan 12
They think they rule the roost over everyone.
For example, they often use disabled bays of car parks, merely because their vehicles are so grotesquely huge.
Nicky Wilkes
says...
10:28am Mon 2 Jan 12
Typical minority with no actual facts or even relevant information regarding the matter but somehow have the greater publicity.
Worcesterman
says...
7:49am Wed 4 Jan 12
Before we get any smart alec, saying they could not stand in the deepest ones, why not? they can use waders.
Bribe.A.Burger
says...
9:05am Wed 4 Jan 12
hatstandharry
says...
11:23am Wed 4 Jan 12
Seriously!!! I am married to the most selfish 4x4 driver and green lane user. So selfish in fact that in severe weather last year he along with other members of a local response group worked over 72 hours to help stranded motorists safely home, provided hot meals for the elderly and vulnerable when roads were inpassable to "normal" vehicles, transported Doctors and nurses to hospitals, surgeries and peoples homes, just to name a few situations!!
Grotesquely huge..but you may agree, very helpful in such situations!!
Please do not tar us all with the same brush!!
We use green lanes, have driven the above mentioned on numerous occasions, we are courteous to other lane users, we stop and give way to pedestrians, ignitions off for horses and NEVER travel above the 12mph speed limit. Regretably there are a small number of 4x4 users who will abuse these lanes, but many you will find most are polite considerate drivers who respect these green lanes and there surroundings.
Jos Sheen
says...
10:27pm Fri 20 Jan 12
This lane is a fairly rare example of a public road that has never been tarmac'd (or Bitumen'd, today).
I believe that many of the roads in Britain were only tarmac'd as late as the 1930's! Before that they were just 'metalled', as in, a rock base was laid down & then layers of graded gravel were pounded (by hand) with metal pads until a smooth wear-resistant surface was achieved. These roads had to be maintained from time to time, potholes and cart ruts filled in etc. and, of course, some roads were better built and maintained than others. Main roads and roads in towns were given first priority and lightly trafficed rural roads could get by with less attention. Norchard Lane is such a road. When Tarmac arrived it was just the perfect topping to the existing road design. So "off road" roads are not just muddy roads that can be played with at will, they have a carefully maintained 'structure' and once that structure is damaged, the road descends into an unmanageable mess, which is what has happened here.
There are three elements to a road. The key to all road building is the provision of adequate drainage, usually by cutting ditches on both sides, then it is desirable to have a crown in the road so that water runs away to both sides, and finally you need a wearing surface. The Romans knew this, and not much has changed. Obviously, in the winter the ground is wetter and if the wearing surface is breached, the stability of the road suffers catastrophically.
These roads need to be maintained to keep their integrity and, as it is a public road, this should fall to the Council.
I have used these lanes, responsibly, over the years in my WW2 truck, and I was concerned to see the state of the road recently. It is not acceptable to use the road in this state.
My truck does not produce the sort of power that tears up roads like modern 4x4s, but if the road is damaged and the surface is penetrated, then ANY use in wet weather will compound the problem and for that reason I fully support closing the road until such time as repairs can be effected (and paid for).
Being able to travel down these leafy lanes is a wonderful amenity and it should be treated with respect, and preserved.
I have seen maintenance carried out from time to time but I think this has often fallen to the local farmer and, if so, then it has been done charitably, as it is not their responsibility.
Unfortunately, there are those who "delight" in churning up mud and wallowing in it. A road is not for that. If you want to do that, then you will have to buy your own land and do it there. The road is there for everybody and ruining it prevents other people from using it.
Of course, we all know Council budgets are squeezed and this road needs quite a bit of work. Perhaps we will have to do it the old way and draw a working party from the local labourers? Or build a tollhouse?
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