2006 Upland Areas Damage Report

 

Click on this picture to view or download a copy of this .pdf file

On 16th November 2006, a report was received by the Council of Ministers:

 

"On Practical Measures to Reduce Damage to Upland Areas by Vehicles".

 

This preliminary report was a series of recommendations put together by three departments, DTL, DEFA, DoI, and proposed a framework of practical measures to safeguard the Island's green lanes and implement an Integrated Green Lane Management Policy. It was commissioned by the Council of Ministers in 2005 in response to concerns about the rising levels of damage being inflicted to the Island's green lanes. The final report was released in November 2006. This issued a series of new directives and specified a list of practical measures to be put in place to monitor and effectively manage the green lanes to ensure their long term survival. 

 

 

A failure to implement the requirements of the 2006 Uplands Damage report has meant the continued deplorable deterioration of most greenways across the Island caused by off-road vehicles, to the point where some have now become unusable by other people.

 

​Key requirements were emphasised in this report to be put into place so as to ensure the survival of the green lanes of which the following are the most important:



1.  "The DoI will introduce a Greenway Road Maintenance Plan covering all greenway roads on the Island" as a matter of priority (section 3.6).

      This maintenance plan has never been put into place.



2.  Track condition monitoring will be implemented by DoI and DEFA officers using standardised methods to establish a set of baseline data of track

     condition, and formal training given by June 2006 (section 3.6).

     Only 1 offiecr from DEFA has started up his own photo monitoring survey.



3.  "The Rights of Way officer will be involved in coordinating the work of the 3 relevant departments (DoI, DEFA, DTL)", and ensure ​that The Rights of​

      Way Improvement Plan is developed and implemented (section 3.7).

      This has not taken place as there is no Rights of Way Improvement Plan.



4.  "The depts. of DEFA, DoI and DTL will meet twice per year to review the matter of damage to the uplands and implemention of the recommendations"

     of this report. Each dept. to have a representative on the Green Lane Users Group (GLUG) (section 3.12) 

      Only a few of these summit meetings have been convened because the Green Lane Users Group has failed to organise them on a regular basis. 



5.  "The DEFA DTL and DoI will work closely with the IOM Police Force to ensure that appropriate rider education and enforcement of Byelaws takes

     place" (section 3.11)

      Only been a few prosections have taken place because of a failure to report infringements,

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6.  "The IOM Government will build on the structure and profile of the Green Lane User Group (GLUG) .......... and attend meetings on an annual basis"

     (section 3.9)

     There has been an almost complete failure by GLUG to arrange these meetings, so GLUG have not been held to account for failing to adequately              limit and control the damage to the green lanes over the past 9 years since this report was accepted by Ministers.



7.  The Dept. of Local Government and Environment (now DEFA) will introduce a revised version of the Government's Rights of Way and Outdoor Leisure  Map by Sept. 2006 to clear up inconsistencies (section 3.5).

      After 9 years this map has still not been issued.

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​Some green lanes are now closed during the winter period to vehicle traffic (1st November to 1st April) in an attempt to reduce damage during the wettest months, but this usually applies to only a very small number of lanes (often 4 or 5), and does not close others during the year that become damaged, or prevent damage occuring during wet summer months.

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Quote (section 3.4): "The DOT Rights of Way Improvement Officer will carry out an audit of signs and advise of any discrepancies or proposed additional signs. New signs showing the correct status will be erected where necessary as a result of the audit." ​  No new signs have been been put in place except some notices on the Old Pack-horse Way in Laxey and the Old Douglas Road at Ballure to indicate that these lanes are now one way only.

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​The 2006 Uplands Damage report also expected the Dept. of Infrastructure to work closely with the Green Lane Users Group to monitor the condition of the green lanes and bring attention to lanes which were becoming damaged or being used inappropriately, for instance off-road bikes using footpaths. But this has not happened. Instead the condition of 6 greenways and green lanes has deteriorated to the point where they have become unusable by most groups except motorbikes, but without GLUG or the DoI recommending closure. The Green Lane Users Group and DoI have been completely inept and ineffective at monitoring this damage before or afterwards and implementing control measures to limit damage.



The final recommendation of the 2006 report (section 5.1):- "It is recommended that DEFA, DoI and the DTL continue in the direction identified in the report to develop effective management of the upland green way roads"  This ​has not occured.

 

You will see from the above that has been an almost complete failure of the DoI to ensure that the Green Lane Users Group carries out the recommendations of the 2006 report, and the evidence for this is right in front of you if you now go into the hills.

 

In Dec 2104 a new Green Lane Management Strategy document was announced by the DoI with 10 new initiatives. Only 3 of these have been upheld and put in place.

 

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