Found a Blocked Lane? Here's what to do...
If you come across a blocked lane - whether it is a fallen tree, an overgrowth of vegetation or a deliberate act by persons known/unknown to impede your progress along that lane - then this is what we'd like you to do...
This is a copy of the notes by our Rights of Way Officer - part of the Welcome Pack you receive upon joining the TRF!
What do I do when I find a lane obstructed? You can legally remove an obstruction by hand in order to get by but you must only move enough to do so and replace it when you have passed through e.g. if a lane near a farm has a pole across then slide it out and put it back afterwards. If the lane is blocked by brambles then knock them aside to get through. You can only remove branches in order to proceed. The main rule is that you are not allowed to set out especially to clear the lane unless by prior permission and insurance from DCC and Parish. In case of difficulty like a fallen tree that is too heavy to move, or a deliberate blockage, report the obstruction in writing (a letter can be sent attached to an email to save paper and postage!) to the appropriate DCC Area Highways Management Office - (Click here to find the appropriate office). An extra benefit of doing this is that any written response will be confirmation that DCC accept that it is a County responsibility and is further proof of our rights on that lane.
Further notes by the Webmeister
For lanes completely blocked by overgrowth
If possible take pictures* of the entrance to the lane and of the obstruction Write up a quick report, and legend for your photos, on where the lane is - Yelverton 201-040 (the number of the lane can be got from either the Google Earth overlay or Memory Map) and it's Ordnance Survey co-ordinates if known, what is blocking the route and stating that you would like to ride this route/lane. Then forward the report and photos* to Brian Sussex - Devon TRF's, fairly tame, Rights of Way Officer
For lanes deliberately blocked by persons known/unknown
It is important that you do not get into an altercation with anybody at the scene. We are a Fellowship who have right on our side (providing we acknowledge the route is a legal one) and we can bring the power of the local council to bear on the matter. Maintain your "cool" and just take the photos* you need, ask for the names of anyone who may be trying to give you grief at the scene offering your name and details at the same time and leave. Do a report and legend for your photos, mentioning any hostility from peoples known/unknown and forward the report and photos* to Brian Sussex as above
*Photographs
Any form of photograph is acceptable. Whether it is from a camera - preferably digital - or a mobile phone it can be the "picture that says a thousand words". If you are using a digital camera, unless it is about 10 years old the picture will be several megapixels large and could be too big to send by e-mail. In that case please follow the procedure below.... If you have "Image Resizing Software" on your computer please reduce the images to 640 pixels for the longest dimension If you do not have Image Resizing Software (that you know about) then please download PIXresizer here. This will open a new window where you can dowload the 3.3Mb program Click on the file and extract the contents to a known location on your computer (C:\My Downloads) Go to that file location and click on the file and click "setup.exe" When the program has installed...the "readme.txt" will open which you can print out. This will tell you how to work with multiple files or just one at a time. If you are working with multiple files the please Select Source Select Destination Move the slider in the "Select New Size" to 680 Make sure JPEG is "dotted" And finally click "Save Pictures" At the finish it will pop up a window saying "All Done" Your photos are now ready for inspection
How to compress the pictures
Find and open the folder where your re-sized pictures are Select the photos you want to send by clicking on each photo whilst holding down the "Ctrl" key (bottom left and right on your keyboard) When you have the photos you want to send selected, right click on one of them and select "Send To....Compressed (zipped) Folder. This will compress* the photos into one folder in the same file as the resized photos. Rename the folder by right clicking on it - the default name for the folder will be that of one of the photos with .zip on the end Right click on the newly zipped folder and "Send To...Mail Recipient. This will open your e-mail program and all you have to do is add the name of the recipient and your report.
Important Points
The above presumes you are using a PC with Windows XP - if you are using a Mac or an older version of Windows please ring Andy (that's me) on 01752 895362 if you need help.
*Compressing a .jpg/jpeg file
A .jpg file is already compressed (same as zipped). The reason for compressing the file with the photos in is that they stay together when being e-mailed and may not be mistaken for a virus!
Size of compressed file
Please check the size of the file you want to send...If it is more than 1.8Mbs then most ISP's (Internet Service Providers) will not allow it's transmission. Then you will have to employ the use of a website like www.sendthisfile.com. You need to register (free) and follow the very simple instructions. Once again, if you need assistance please ring me. Please be aware that the recipient will receive an e-mail from Sendthisfile telling them to fetch the file from their website. Some recipient's e-mail program may see the e-mail as "Phishing" or "Spam". Please e-mail the recipient first to let them know you are sending the file using a website called Sendthisfile....or similar. I have used www.yousendit.com but they are slightly inconsistant with their operation and sometimes the file never gets off your computer! Obviously if you are sending the file using a third party you can send the report by e-mail directly
Brain Sussex's e-mail -
Can you see the gate?
This is a copy of the report I did for lane 210-040 Nr Yelverton
The track has a small rill running along it with fairly firm edges until you get to the clearing where the track turns from heading almost East to SSE. There is a fairly large "clearing" but the route is blocked by a fallen tree (photo 201-040_6 viewed from Southern side) that still seems to be growing from the left hand bank. It would be difficult to pass to the West/right of the fallen tree because it is exceptionally boggy there. The track doglegs right and then again left after crossing a small stream. On the other side of the stream there is a large branch (photo 201-040_5 seen from other side) blocking the route as to the right (left in the photo) is a quagmire. The lane gets more thin until it is impassable on foot and there is a view of the fallen tree which unfortunately is not well aspected in picture 201-040_1! Returning to my bike I rode through the village and approached the track via ******** Farm. I was not approached by anyone as I parked my bike by the entrance of the lane. One of the trailers looks derelict but the other two are in use. They are parked so as to suggest there is not a lane there and the overgrowth of the gate that is blocking the lane is impressive. About 50 feet in from the grown in gate is a fallen tree which effectively blocks the route for all vehicles.
Please note that as this web page is open to the public I have removed the pertinent references to where the lane is. If you want to know where the lanes are....Join the TRF!
I also enclosed 9 photographs with a legend bearing the OS Maps co-ordinates and a commentary on each photo.
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