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GLASS is the National User Group for those who enjoy using the Country’s network of ancient unsurfaced public roads and vehicular rights of way. We are a not for profit association dedicated to driving, protecting and researching our unique heritage of unsurfaced public highways. We promote legal and responsible driving as a way of enjoying the countryside and campaign against irresponsible use.
Glass offers its members access to information and advice, a quarterly magazine and full access to our comprehensive on-line database of rights of way in Great Britain. We also have a network of local representatives who hold regular meetings and can offer local knowledge to our members.
Green Lane Traffic Ban Quashed as ‘Unbalanced and Irrational’
by the High Court.
19th June 2009
The decision handed down by His Honour Judge Behrens, QC, in the Administrative Court in Leeds has restored four important green lanes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park to recreational motor vehicle use.
The Motoring Organisation’s Land Access and Recreation Association (LARA) challenged the decision of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to discard the recommendations of its own Green Lane Advisory Group, and instead to impose full-time prohibition of driving orders. Judge Behrens held that the Park Authority had not conducted the necessary degree of balancing of movement of traffic, and acted irrationally when moving to exclude recreational motor vehicles from ‘green lanes’ in the National Park.
Association of Land Rover Clubs Auto-Cycle Union Amateur Motor Cycle Association British Motorcyclists Federation Green Lane Association Motor Cycle Industry Association Motor Sports Association Trail Riders Fellowship
Welcome to the GLASS Mythbusters series!
Myth: Recreational 4x4s cause 3 foot deep ruts.
Truth : Most 4x4s use tyres that are less than 30” in diameter, so have a radius of 15” or less. Even the largest tyres in everyday use are generally no bigger than 35” diameter, so have a radius of 17.5”
After taking account of the axles, differentials, brakes etc this gives most vehicles a ground clearance of around 4” to 8” and most are towards the lower figure. Therefore this is the deepest depth of rut a normal 4x4 could be expected to cause.
Major ruts are often caused by legitimate agricultural use. Some tractors can cause ruts 3' deep!
Many so called “ruts” are in fact caused by water run-off eroding existing channels in the surface. Yes these can be caused initially by vehicles (recreational or agricultural) or even cycle traffic or horse drawn vehicles. Lack of maintenance especially to drainage is often the reason they can get so bad.
Ruts can allow water to run off and cause vehicles to follow the same route, especially as many unsurfaced highways are fenced or walled. Whereas pocketing on open footpaths caused by horse or foot traffic can cause standing water that makes tracks waterlogged and encourages users to divert round, making the damage wider and wider. Anyone who has walked on the peat moors of northern England will have seen this effect.
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MEMBERSHIP SERVICES TEL. NO: 0115 8752885
GLASS currently has over 1,000 direct members covering most parts of England, Scotland and Wales , with a few elsewhere. Our size is growing steadily. In addition, nearly 40 4x4 and other clubs are affiliated to GLASS bringing our total representation to around 30,000 people.
You can now renew your membership or join GLASS at theGLASS Online Store
GLASS are pleased to announce the appointment of 2 new Area Reps.
Frank Bayley has agreed to take on the role of GLASS Rep for Northamptonshire. This has proved to be a very difficult role in the past. Thank you Frank. Frank, although a new Rep, has many years of Green Laning experience and is well respected within the community. Our belated thanks go to Nick Alderman for looking after the area for a number of years.
Simon Bentley has agreed to take on the role of West Yorkshire Area Rep. Mark Hannon has been the Area Rep for a number of years and has stood down due to personal reasons. Mark will continue to organise the local meeting and some events. Simon was previously looking after part of North Yorkshire and assisting in South Yorkshire. So this is more of a sideways move to cover West Yorkshire.
Gary Walton, who was injured after a fall in Derbyshire, was helped by the Breckland Land Rover Club.
A group of Land Rover enthusiasts from Norfolk played a key role in rescuing a teenager who suffered back injuries after falling down rocks in Derbyshire.
Gary Walton, 19, was taking a short cut across Pindale a quarry between Hope Valley and Castleton when he had the accident and could not move.
Fortunately members of the Breckland Land Rover Club - who were on a “green lane run” in the area - went past and found him and helped in the operation to get him to hospital.
The club's rights of way officer and GLASS Regional Representative for Norfolk Daniel Kelly who was leading the trip said: “The young man was lying in a heap and had no top on and told us he had fallen. He had crawled 40 to 50 yards in his injured state towards the "roadway" to find help”
Mr Kelly contacted the police and liaised with officers while club secretary Sue Eltringham and her partner Lance Cornwell - from Merton, near Watton - helped paramedics get to the scene as their vehicle could not traverse Pindale.
Partly due to the fact the ambulances could not get close enough to the injured man Mr Walton had to be flown by air ambulance to hospital and suffered three broken back bones.
His cousin Amy Crick said: “They were really kind to him and he could have been there for ages if they had not found him.”
Mr Kelly said there was often criticism of 4x4 drivers in the countryside using green lanes, but he said if they had not used the route, Mr Walton could have been lying there for a considerable time longer and given the time of the incident he could have ended up spending a night or more undiscovered with disastrous consequences.
