TRF Forums

There is currently a LARA Voluntary Restraint on a cluster of lanes at East Meon, Hampshire. A local group of residents have formed an inclusive group of users to put these long neglected routes back into good order and on Sunday 26th July there will be work day. It would be good if the TRF could attend in good numbers to show that we are part of the solution and not the problem.

If you'd like to come along, even a few hours in passing, please e-mail me.

southandsouthwest@trf.org.uk

Dave Tilbury

Count me in Dave.

Meet, 10 AM, at the centre of 5 ways. SU696:220.

Will all tools etc be provided or do they want people to bring their own if they can?
Anything else needed? Chainsaws and the like?

NNnnnnnnnnnooooooo

No power tools - but any hand tools would be good.

I have not been told 'no power tools' but as it is an HCC thing, that is almost a certainty.

Is this being treated with the usual TRF membership apathy or am I jsut misreading it?

Oh well. Lets hope there's some more interest in Yorkshire when I move there in 2 months time....

[quote="AdamA"]Is this being treated with the usual TRF membership apathy or am I jsut misreading it?

Adam! Really? One is taken aback at your cynicism.

Yes, the TRF seems to have moved away from its roots as an organisation that 'protected green lanes' to a riding club. I was out on Friday and didn't see a tyre mark on the unclassified roads. Clearly forgotten about by the two groups that ride in the area. I need to report fallen trees and overgrown lanes.

And I think there's an understandable reason for this.


NERC


It was made very plain in Parliament during the debate that the TRF are seen by MPs and Government (DEFRA etc) as disgusting hooligans exploiting a legal loophole to trash the countryside.

This ignored decades of hard work by dedicated TRF members.

You can understand why people no longer want to make an effort to keep lanes open for all...when they are going to be closed for us.

I'm not saying this is right...but it is understandable.

The question is: how do we turn the situation around?

We keep on doing what we do. Talking to local authorities and doing lane clearance. There will be lanes we can claim, once we have an authoritative interpretation of the exemptions by a higher court. But, let's be realistic. We have never been in the business of gaining routes - merely hanging on to them.

[Posted on behalf of Dave Tilbury]

Thanks once more for volunteering to help on Sunday. To confirm we will be there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and we look forward to seeing you. We will be setting up our HQ at Five Ways. Please come along and register as part of the deal for the grant we have secured from HCC is that we deliver 400 hours of voluntary effort - and we hope Sunday will make a significant dent in this commitment.

Much of the preparatory work has now been completed (and Five ways is already transformed). What we are trying to achieve on Sunday is the finishing work - which will involve spreading piles of finishing scalpings and then compacting these.

If you can bring a wheelbarrow, rakes, shovels and possibly a sledge hammer then they will definitely come in handy. We would recommend that you wear sturdy boots just in case toes get in the way of something hard and/or heavy!

If you have any questions let me know - otherwise see you there. The weather forecast is reasonable and despite the recent rain the conditions are not too muddy up there - which is encouraging.


Dave Tilbury
TRF Contractor - Area South

southandsouthwest@trf.org.uk