Trail Riding Terms & Abbreviations 2009

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

 

Abatement: - Legal term for a practical action to reduce a problem, as an alternative to legal action such as going to court. When a user removes an illegal obstruction he is abating it; this is not an offence.Back to top

Accommodation Road: - A route for the private use of persons with an interest in land to which it leads. Such routes, often created to link fields separated by canals or railways, may also carry public rights. (Similar to ‘occupation road’).

ACU: - Auto-Cycle Union.

Adopted Road: - When a builder makes an estate road it will normally be dedicated to the public, sooner or later, but it will not be maintainable at public expense until it is formally adopted by the Highway Authority (and added to the List of Streets).

Affidavit: - A written statement of fact witnessed formally by a solicitor. In the absence of a witness, an affidavit can form very useful evidence, for instance of the use of a route.
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ALRC: - Association of Land Rover Clubs.

AMCA: - Amateur Motorcycle Association.

Arrest: - Detention of anyone by another; only legal if a serious offence has been committed or attempted (E.G for criminal damage or obstruction, but not for trespass or riding on a bridleway).

ATV: - All Terrain Vehicle, usually a light 3 wheeled open vehicle with motorcycle seating and controls, and often only vaguely ‘street legal’. 4 wheeled versions are called quads.

AWDC: - All Wheel Drive Club.

BBT or B&BT: - The Byways and Bridleways Trust, a registered charity looking after rights and the laws applying to them. Not a user group.
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BDS: - British Driving Society, concerned with horse drawn carriage driving.

BHS: - British Horse Society, the governing body of many horse activities.

BMF: - British Motorcyclists Federation.

BOAT: - Byway open to all traffic.
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Bridle-path, Bridle Road: - Alternative terms for Bridleway.

Bridleway: - A route legally available for walkers and horse riders, and bicycles (but conditionally – bicyclists must give way to the others).

BTCV: - British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.

Byway open to all traffic (BOAT): - Legal term for a minor unsurfaced or unsealed highway or route with full vehicular rights, which is marked as such on the Definitive Map.

CA’68: - The Countryside Act 1968, in which Byways could replace RUPPs, but with downgrading on grounds of suitability etc. Modified by WCA’81.
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Cambrian Council: - A group of Welsh motorcycle clubs, mostly of competition riders, who meet to co-ordinate action for their sport.

Carriageway: - A route for vehicles of all descriptions. Public carriageway is the highest of the three traditional statuses of Rights of Way – and since 2006, a Restricted Byway is a carriageway but not (usually) for motors.

CCPR: - The Central Council of Physical Recreation, formed before the Sports Council to look after the needs of active recreational groups, including about 280 governing bodies.

CLA: - The Country Land and Business Association, to which many landowners belong, including the largest ones.
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CoAg: - The Countryside Agency, formed in 1999 by merging CoCo and the Rural Development Commission, and merged in 2006 with English Nature to produce Natural England.

CoCo: - The Countryside Commission, set up to look after all access rights, but the body that pushed for the Ridgeway TRO and Quiet Roads. Replaced by the Countryside Agency (CoAg), and now, Natural England.

Common Law: - The part of the legal system that is based on old tradition, ancient practice, and the decisions of judges, rather than on Acts of Parliament (which produce Statute Law). Trespass and Nuisance are dealt with under common law. (Not connected with Common land). Common law says that use of a route by the public for a reasonable time can establish public rights; in one case 18 months was enough.

Common Rights: - A traditional land management idea in which ‘commoners’ who own a nearby house or cottage have rights on a patch of land (the common). The most important right, today, is that allowing sheep or cattle to graze the land. Since 2000 most commons have become ‘Open Access Land’.
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CRoW, the CRoW Act 2000: - the Act which created ‘Open Access’ over much of the common land, mountain, moor, heath and down in England and Wales. It also changed RUPPs to RBs, and promises to extinguish many unrecorded routes in 2026.

CPRE: - The Council for the Protection of Rural England, which tries to do for the countryside what the National Trust does for property.

CRB, CRF: - Terms used in the early 1950s ‘Definitive Map’ processes to describe RUPPs, and standing for Cart Road (used as a) Bridleway, or Cart Road (used as a) Footpath.

Dedication: - The main process by which a right of way can come about. It can be ‘express’ – a deliberate decision by the landowner, or ‘presumed’ – by inference from the landowner’s actions or inaction.
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Definitive Map & Statement (DM&S): - Official record of some linear public rights in the countryside, available for inspection and copying at county and district council offices. Tarmac roads are not usually shown, and neither are all unsurfaced vehicular ways. The term ‘definitive’ is often used (confusingly) to mean ‘shown on the Definitive Map’ rather than ‘beyond doubt’. The Statement which goes with the Map should detail the width, and any gates, etc.

Defra: - UK Government Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs – the department which deals with Rights of Way matters.

DETR: - The previous Government’s Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions – which combined the even older DoE and DoT and has been replaced (for RoW) by Defra.

DM&S: - Definitive Map & Statement.

DMMO: - Definitive Map Modification Order – the official way that most changes are made to the DM&S. They are made by Surveying Authorities following claims, or discovery of evidence. if a DMMO prompts objections, there is a PI, if not the decision is automatic.

Drove Road: - A route used before the railway era for long distance transport of livestock, usually cattle, which all had to walk to market in major towns, sometimes from as far away as Scotland & Wales. Also called Drift and Driving Road. Many green roads were drove roads.

Easement: - a private right to use a route for access. Easements are permanent and are sold along with the property which benefits, unlike permissive routes.
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EHPS: - Endurance Horse & Pony Society.

Fp, Footpath: - A route on which any member of the public may walk (or run). Prams, and dogs under control, may accompany walkers. Definitive footpaths may carry vehicular rights.

Footway: - A strip for pedestrians alongside a carriageway, normally with a kerb and paving. Not the same as footpath, and not to be shown on the DM&S.

Founderous: - A route is founderous when it would be likely to bring a horse to its knees. Such a route is ‘out of repair’.
HA ’80: - The Highways Act 1980.

Higher rights: - A Bridleway has ‘higher rights’ than a footpath, and a carriageway higher than a bridleway. Unrecorded rights may exist on any Definitive route, so footpaths and bridleways may have vehicular status. It all depends on the evidence, and the effects of the NERC Act.
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Highway: - In everyday terms an all-purpose road, but in law, any route along which members of the public have a right to pass and repass. Highways are all public, and may be footpaths, bridleways, or carriageways. Technically the highway is the route itself, the right of way is the right to use it.

Highway Authority: - The public body responsible for the maintenance of all Highways in their area (but not trunk roads or motorways). For Carriageways, this is usually the County Council, Unitary Authority, or Metropolitan Borough, but Public Path matters are sometimes devolved to District Councils or National Parks. (cf Surveying Authority).

Highways Agency: - the sub-department of national Government which looks after motorways and trunk roads.

Inclosure: - The legal process which took away common rights and established private landowners, usually between 1750 and 1850. Roads and access routes were set out in the documentation, and this is a valuable source of evidence for highway status. Also spelt with an initial E.
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LAF: - Local Access Forum, set up by the CRoW Act in each Authority area. Members are drawn from users and landowners, and the LAF should be consulted about policy and changes to RoW.
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LARA: - The motoring organisations’ Land Access and Recreation Association, set up in 1986 to co-ordinate the defence of motor sport and recreation. The TRF is a full member.

List of Streets: - A record kept by the highway authority of all routes in their area which are publicly maintainable. It must be available to members of the public during office hours, it may be in map or list form, and it should show all UCRs as well as tarred roads. In full, the List of streets maintainable at public expense – HA’80 s 36(6).

License: - in RoW terms a document setting out the terms of permissive use.

LoS: - List of Streets.

MCC: - The Motor Cycling Club, organisers of the oldest motoring events in the UK, using many green lanes with motoring rights, especially in Derbyshire and the West Country.
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MCIA: - The Motor Cycle Industry Association, a trade body of UK motorcycle importers and makers.

MOLARA: - Ancient title for LARA, and not much used.

MRDO: - Motor Recreation Development Officer – a LARA post.

MSA: - The Motor Sports Association UK, the official governing body of motor sport in the UK, founded in 1897. It was a branch of the RAC until recently.

MSDO: - Motor Sport Development Officer – a LARA post.

NASA: - The National Auto-grass Sport Association.
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NERC: - The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, which removed motoring rights from about half of the network available for trail riding in England and Wales, and gave National Parks to right to make TROs.

NFU: - The National Farmers Union, no more a trade union than is the ACU; mainly concerned with practical farming from the farmer’s point of view.

NPACA ’49: - The National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act 1949, setting up National Parks and the Definitive Map. Modified by CA’68 & WCA’81.

Obstruction: - Anything which interferes with the passage of the public along a highway, or with free access over any part of it. It is a ‘public nuisance’ in law, and committing such a nuisance is a crime; it is the duty of the highway authority to seek, prevent and remove obstructions. Users coming across an obstruction may legally ‘abate’ it, removing enough to carry on their journey. Otherwise, the Highway Authority should be told.
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Occupation Road: - One with private rights for those with an interest in adjacent land, not quite the same as accommodation road. It may also have public rights.

Off-Road: - a term often (but quite wrongly) used for trail riding. Properly speaking, only on-road use counts as trail riding. The term can be used quite accurately for moto-cross and grass-track events, riders, etc.

OMA: - Order Making Authority – a term used for the Surveying Authority involved in a specific DMMO. In practice, the terms OMA, HA, and Surveying Authority are almost always referring to the same thing.

Open Access Land: - Land made available to the public on foot by the CRoW Act 2000.
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Ordnance Survey, OS: - The official map making body for the UK. Two scales of OS maps show DM&S routes, the Explorer at a scale of 1:25000, and the Landranger at 1:50000. Outdoor Leisure maps and Pathfinder maps are older versions of the Explorer scale. OS maps do not show all vehicular rights, and do show some private tracks.

ORPA: - ‘Other routes with public access’ – a designation shown on recent OS Maps (Landranger & Explorer) to indicate some (but not all) unsurfaced UCRs (unclassified roads).

OS: - Ordnance Survey.

OSS: - Open Spaces Society.

Permissive route: - One where the owner has indicated that for the time being he does not mind use by the public as a footpath, bridleway, or road. Permission may be withdrawn at any time.
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PI: - Public Inquiry – the process for deciding an objected DMMO, at which evidence (and prejudice) are considered. The decision is made by an Inspector provided by PINS.

PINS: - the Planning Inspectorate, an ‘independent’ body set up by government to adjudicate on planning and rights of way decisions.

Prescribed Body: - One of the group of organisations specified in various Acts of Parliament to be notified of changes to the RoW network. The ACU and WTRA are the only prescribed motoring bodies. The duties of the ACU in this matter in some areas are carried out by local TRF members.

Prescriptive rights: - Legal terms for rights of way established by public use and ‘deemed dedication’. Such use must be without force, without secrecy, and not as a favour or by permission (ie nec vi, nec clam, nec precario).

Public Inquiry: - An investigation by an independent inspector, often in a public hall; the official way of examining evidence and letting anyone concerned in proposed changes have a say, and produce their own evidence.

Public Path: - A Right of Way which is a footpath or bridleway, with no higher rights. The term is often misapplied to ‘definitive’ paths which may carry higher (but hidden) rights.

Purpresture: - Encroachment on the roadside, such as garden extensions, and whitewashed stones to keep vehicles off the verge. Even if ‘official’, it is an illegal obstruction.

Quad: - A lightweight four wheeled vehicle based around on motorcycle engine and controls, and commonly used for farming or recreational purposes. In full, quadricycle is the legal description but not all quads meet the definition.
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RA: - Ramblers Association.
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RB: - Restricted Byway.

Reclassification: - The process whereby RUPPs on the Definitive map are reconsidered by the Highway Authority and reclassified as BOAT, Bridleway, or Footpath, depending on the evidence. Such changes did not remove any higher rights which may have existed, but the NERC Act probably did.

Restricted Byway: - A route with rights for foot and horse traffic, and non-mechanically propelled vehicles. All remaining RUPPs were changed to RBs by the CRoW Act.

Right of Way (RoW): - A right for any member of the public to travel over the land of another, without needing permission. There are three main categories, Footpath, Bridleway, and Carriageway (which can be all-purpose or RB) and a few oddities such as cycle tracks. Use can only legally be for a genuine journey from one place to another. The term is often used in a restrictive meaning for only those routes on the DM&S, but technically all highways are also RoW, even motorways.

Road Used as a Public Path (RUPP): - A classification on Definitive maps, for a route which was not a footpath or bridleway, but not with conclusive vehicular rights for the public. Confused? So was everyone else. RUPPs became RBs in 2006.

RoW: - Right of way.
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RoWRC: - The House of Commons RoW Review Committee. This group advises Parliament and Ministers, and comprises most of the ‘movers and shakers’ in RoW matters, drawn from groups representing the authorities at all levels, land managers, and users of the countryside. The TRF has a voice through LARA and through the CCPR.

RT Road: - One maintainable by the landowner; ratione tenurae means ‘(maintainable) by reason of tenure’. All RT roads are public carriageways, sometimes marked on the List of Streets.

RUPP: - Road used as a public path, shown on the Definitive Map until 2006 and converted to RBs by the CRoW Act.
Schedule 14, Sch 14: - The legal rules – set out in WCA’81 – applying to claims (including BOAT claims) to alter the DM&S.

Section 116, s 116: - Highways Act 1980 section which allows a road to be closed by magistrates if it is not needed, or to be diverted to make it more ‘commodious’.
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Section 34, s 34
Section 56, s 56
Section 59, s59: - Highways Act 1980 section, allowing for application to a magistrates court by anyone believing that a highway is out of repair (see Founderous). Magistrates can order the authority to put it in order.


Status: - The status of a route refers to rights on it; it may be public or private, and allow carriages, horse-riders, or pedestrians. Vehicular status indicates public carriageway rights – which can mean an all purpose highway, or, a Restricted Byway.

Street Legal: - Term used to indicate that a vehicle complies with all the regulations for highway use. Trail riding can only take place with street legal machines.

Surveying Authority: - The term used in law for the Local Authorities (Councils) which look after the DM&S. In practice, this means the Highway Authorities.

TRO: - Traffic Regulation Order, which can restrict any class of traffic on any route, for up to eighteen months, or permanently. TROs must be signed clearly so that users know exactly what is forbidden. The sign for ‘no motor vehicles’ shows a BSA A10 motorcycle flying over a Ford Prefect of the same era, in a red ring. A plain red ring means ‘no vehicles at all’. The Highway Code has illustrations of most signs in current use.
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UCR: - Unclassified County Road (UCR). Properly speaking, the ‘County’ bit is obsolete, but the abbreviation is still commonly used even by authorities.
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Unclassified Road: - A road recorded (on the List of Streets) by the Highway Authority as ‘maintainable at public expense’, and normally having vehicular rights. Such roads are sometimes not tarred, and then are not always marked on Definitive or OS maps. Many unsurfaced UCRs are shown on recent OS maps as ORPAs. Classified roads are the familiar A and B roads.

User: - Legal term for use of a route by the public, counting as evidence.

Vehicle: - Any mobile contrivance for carrying goods or travellers or providing a service. This includes sledges, bicycles, prams, wheelbarrows, sedan chairs, and litters; as well as carts, cars and motorcycles. In law, (almost?) all vehicles are carriages, and as a bridleway is only for walking or ‘leading or riding a horse’, evidence of any other public use – even without a vehicle – could be evidence counting towards vehicular rights.
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WAG: - the Welsh Assembly Government, which has some (but not all) of the powers to control trail riding.
Waymarking: - The use of standard symbols on rights of way ‘in the field’, on gateposts, etc, to indicate status and direction. A stumpy red arrow should be used for carriageways, blue for bridleways, and yellow for footpaths. The term is also used, confusingly, for the route marking of named routes like the Pennine Way, but without showing the legal status.
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WCA ’81: - The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, under which RUPPs are reclassified and other changes are made to the Definitive Map and Statement.

Whites: - Motor Sport term for those public roads on OS Landranger maps which are not coloured to show tarmac surfaces – in other words, unsurfaced Unclassified Roads. Most whites are ORPAs, too.

Winchester: - A short-hand name for a court case in 2006 which has affected many TRF BOAT claims.

WORMS: - Welsh Off-Road Motorcycle Scheme – set up by the Welsh offices of the Forestry Commission, and backed by WAG. It promotes management of trail riding and similar activities by education, provision, and enforcement, not as alternatives but in combination.

WMF: - The Welsh Motorcycle Federation.

WTRA: -The Welsh Trail Riders Association.
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