Latest news with #publicrightofway
The Drive
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Vermont's Lt. Governor Is Trying to Seize a Public Road as His Own Private Driveway
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Vermont's Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers is threatening his tiny hometown of Glover with legal action if the selectboard doesn't concede a public dirt road to him personally. Rodgers Road, about two miles of gravel track in a bucolic corner of a largely rural state, apparently runs through his property. But it's also been a public right-of-way for the lifetime of everyone involved. The road in question is not a critical piece of infrastructure; travelers have an easy alternative road to get from one end to the other, just a little to the north. That's not really the point, though. Most of the road is considered 'Class 3,' while a small section in the middle is 'Class 4.' An important distinction between road types is that Class 3 roads must be maintained for year-round travel by the town, while Class 4 roads do not. But they're both town highways. That small stretch of Class 4 in particular is what Rodgers is trying to seize, according to Glover's selectboard meeting minutes from May 5. As those notes specify: '[Rodgers] has proposed making a class four section of Rodger's Road a trail and stated that if this is done, he will not pursue legal action against the town. Alternatively, he stated that if he were to file a suit in court, and succeed, he would close the road to motorized vehicles.' I wasn't able to quickly confirm exactly why the road already shares the Lt. Governor's last name, but it's possible that his ancestors were early residents when the track was first cut. Rodgers isn't even the only one with property there—there are eight other houses on Rodgers Road, according to a local newspaper. 'James and Hella Coe own property on the class four section of the road and don't want to lose access,' writes The Newport Daily Express . No kidding! Glover's attorney reportedly 'advised the town that all documented evidence shows Rodgers Road as a Class 4 town road and the Selectboard asserted that the section is a long standing right of way used by other residents.' A week later (Thursday, May 22) the town had another selectboard meeting in which 'almost 20 neighbors who say they need to access that section of the road signed a petition asking the town to maintain control of the road,' according to WCAX , the CBS affiliate in Orleans County, where Glover is. The Lt. Governor hadn't responded to the local news for comment as of midday Friday, so it remains to be seen whether he wants to make good on his threats of judicially beating the town into submission on the matter. Not exactly a super highway, but it looked like a perfectly passable public way as recently as August 2024 when Google's Street View car went down it. Google Street View screenshot WCAX had previously shared some of a Zoom meeting earlier this month between Glover's selectboard and Mr. Rodgers, who seemed to be trying his hardest to come off like a villain in the first act of a Pixar movie. 'I've spent a lot of money on lawyers, and I'll spend more if I have to … If I win. I'm going to shut the road down completely. There'll be no access. If you win, you're going to spend a whole bunch of money on lawyers and then have to spend money fixing up the road,' Rodgers said. Glover Selectboard Chair Phil Young's response concisely articulates the opposing view: 'It doesn't make sense to me to give up a right-of-way that we've had for 200 years.' Vermont Roads is a great resource for finding dirt routes in the state. Here's a screenshot of Rodgers Road from that site. You can also find that kind of info on ArcGIS, which highlights the same section of Rodgers as Class 4. Vermont Roads screenshot WCAX did some real journalism and dug up emails recounting contentious encounters between Mr. Rodgers and town road crews, reporting: '… a road crew member alleges that Rodgers called him a moron.' and that Rodgers said, 'I have over 20 years of public service serving this town and this area. To have these lowlifes discriminating against me is a serious slap in the face.' I'm not sure what he means by discriminating, but slinging personal insults at the public works crews in a town of about 225 people doesn't seem like a prudent way to politic. Here's a crop of one of the state's official maps of Glover, with Rodgers Road highlighted in purple. Vermont Agency of Transportation As it stands, the town and the state's Lt. Governor seem to be at an impasse. 'If we don't negotiate, we'll go to court … I can close a section of the road and you can sue me,' the local county paper quoted Rodgers saying. He apparently 'contends the class four section of the road hasn't been a road since the horse and buggy.' That's very easily disproven, as a Google Street View car cataloged the whole thing just last summer. I guess I can see why Rodgers would want the road to himself—sure, I'd like the road in front of my house to be my own private property too, why not? But his apparent tactic of strongarming the town seems so bizarrely short-sighted and high-risk, low-reward. I've actually been to Glover, Vermont (it's lovely), and I'd be surprised if as many as a dozen different cars trundle down that two-mile stretch of dirt road any given week. So, best-case scenario, he gets that down to zero, at the cost of all his legal fees and indefinite bad blood with all his neighbors? Just let the people have their dang dirt road, man. Got some spicy infrastructure drama happening in your town? Tell us about it: tips@ Pro car critic since 2012. Andrew's also been an off-road tour guide, repo man, and Baja co-driver, among other things. Lifetime car nerd, amateur tinkerer, very slow casual racer.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Pensioner couple tens of thousands out of pocket after losing years-long fight to ban public from narrow path through garden of Norfolk village home
A retired couple's expensive 12-year legal battle to stop ramblers and dog walkers roaming through their garden on a disputed public footpath has failed after they lost a second Planning Inspectorate hearing. Ann and John Scott moved into their home on a half-acre plot in the picturesque Norfolk village of Thompson 25 years ago. But in 2013 an elderly local claimed there was a historical right of access across the site, plunging them into the legal nightmare that had consumed their time ever since. The matter eventually went to a Planning Inquiry in 2022, where Norfolk County Council dropped a claim that vehicles could also drive along the route. But the inspector still ruled a 'public right of way on foot' had been established before the Scotts arrived. Mrs Scott, 77, and her husband, 79, used a second hearing in front of a different planning inspector to challenge the ruling but have now been told 'nothing has been provided to cast doubt' on the previous decision. They could still take their case to the High Court but their legal bill – which is already around £40,000 – would soar even higher, with no guarantee of success. Mrs Scott said: 'I'm a retired teacher and grandmother having to fight against the county council and dozens of villagers. It is a complete inequality of arms.' The former teachers spent 50 years in different properties in the tiny 150-dwelling village - which was mentioned in the Domesday Book and has a 14th century church - before moving to their current site in 1998. They were aware that the previous owner of the 300-year-old cottage had turned a blind eye to ramblers and others occasionally crossing the land. But they were reassured by a solicitor that it was not designated as a footpath on Norfolk's definitive map. The Scotts – who rented out the cottage after moving into a new build property on the land in 2021 which they built themselves - believe the council was relying on documents dating back to 1929, which described a 'soft road' across their land. This possibly dates to the 19th century when villagers used to trudge across the area on their way to a brickworks, which closed in 1911. 'There was a road marked on the definitive draft map drawn up in the 1950s but it was not there when it was finalised in 1961,' Mrs Scott said previously. 'Some people think we are depriving them of their rights but they don't understand the situation.' The first Planning Inquiry was delayed by the pandemic but finally began in February 2022, before being adjourned until November. At the hearing, church organist Mrs Scott and her husband argued the council's case was 'flawed, void and must be rejected'. Also objecting was a nearby landowner, Leoware Ltd, which also sits on the disputed track. The council dropped its claim to a 'byway open to all traffic' but insisted the footpath was a long-term feature. Inspector Sue Arnott agreed with the council, despite accepting the path was not shown on all of its documents which created a 'muddle' that 'does not inspire confidence in NCC's past administration'. She said: 'My conclusion, both from the historical evidence I have examined and from the accounts of people who have known and used the path over many years, is that the order route had been established as a right of way on foot long before 1998. 'Given the absence of challenge to users of the way until the end of that century, I am satisfied that dedication as a public path can be presumed such as to warrant addition to the definitive record.' The second public inquiry, held earlier this year, heard from several villagers who spoke of their memories using the route. Norfolk Ramblers also demanded public access should be maintained. Peter Rudling, who grew up in the area, said: 'I think the footpath should be there for future generations.' The Scotts continued to argue that the designation as a footpath had been removed from official records long ago but planning inspector Mark Yates ruled against them. The couple had also filed a claim for nearly £40,000 in compensation from Norfolk County Council, arguing its conduct had been unreasonable and forced them to commission expensive lawyers and research work. But the council has rejected the claim, saying it had acted appropriately throughout and the second inquiry took place at the Scotts' insistence and amounted to an 'abuse of process'. Mr Scott said in a previous submission: 'We've fought every step of the way because we believe this is wrong. 'This is our home. People wouldn't tolerate this in a city. Why should we in the countryside?' The route goes through nearby undeveloped fields and links with Peddars Way, a 46-mile footpath through Norfolk and Suffolk. Mrs Scott has devoted hundreds of hours digging out documents about the case – and unearthed other examples to illustrate the 'absurdity' of the rules. She made headlines in 2020 with claims there was a footpath across land owned by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson's father Stanley in Exmoor, Somerset. Norfolk County Council was contacted for a comment.
