Private Drive Sign

[Travelover]

Slightly off topic, but can you combine multiple frames from a video into one high quality image of a face or license plate? That would be slick.

 

[RoadHogg]

Oh there have also been times where I park half on the old discontinued road making it a bit tough to get by, after all it is my property and I pay taxes on it! I have calmed down over the years and if we see two or three unkown cars a month it is a high number, but I still get a bit upset over it.

I like the parking idea. What's so bad about a parking ticket...that's about the worst they could do to you. Buy the biggest huge old truck you can find and park it smack in the middle of the road with the hood up. Claim, "It just broke down." if someone complains.

 

[beppington]

We purchased land on a discontinued road. ...

If it's not paved, why don't you just make it really, really bumpy?

 

[WayneB]

If it's not paved, why don't you just make it really, really bumpy?

I maybe got carried away with the road issue in this posting, mainly I was pointing out to be careful with what one thinks is his or her rights.

As for the road it is basically the same way it was when we bought the property and will remain that way as long as I own both sides of the land it runs through.

I for one always felt you had a right to protect your property, after all we do live in "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire. But, the fact of the matter is there are laws and everyone has to live within them.

 

[F1520]

We purchased land on a discontinued road....

I thought Vermont was the only state engaged in the "ancient roads" idiocy.

I thought that when a road was officially discontinued, it no longer existed. If the road no longer exists, the old roadbed then reverts to private property, and anyone who traverses it is trespassing.

I'm with beppington... make that "road" look like the surface of the moon!

 

[merrickvilleguy]

I think map sites like Google Earth and Bing is also a cause for concern. Many of these people driving your road may have cased out the place beforehand online...and may already have an idea of what is on your property. It's scary thinking about it. People don't honor signs and our privacy has been posted online for everybody to see...

Anything posted on google maps is visible from the road (or orbit at very low resolution) ... it isn't private, add on the refresh rate of the images, I wouldn't worry about people using it to case your place.

That being said here is a bit of useful information for the paranoid among us:

• farmers have tractors, implements and equipment
• cottagers have boats/atvs/snowmobiles/etc and are rarely around to notice them missing
• rural folks have few neighbours to see whats going on making it easy to get away with thefts

I bet those 3 points are common to most of us, and thats without knowing a damned thing about you. A thief doesn't come to steal your kubota b class tractor ... he comes to steal your tractor ... the fact that you are a farmer makes it a near sure bet you have one ... and thats without casing your home

 

[CompactTractorFan]

BTW Why do Jehovas people keep coming back? Jy.

They don't come here...anymore...

 

[WayneB]

I thought Vermont was the only state engaged in the "ancient roads" idiocy.

I thought that when a road was officially discontinued, it no longer existed. If the road no longer exists, the old roadbed then reverts to private property, and anyone who traverses it is trespassing.

I'm with beppington... make that "road" look like the surface of the moon!

With most roads that are discontinued the land returns to the abutters. If there are two owners on each side of the road then the road is divided in the center and each landowner owns to the center of the old road. Way back when they were discontinuing roads there was also a statement placed in the closing regarding the land being returned to the abutters and also abutters had a right to ingress and egress on the old road way to access the property. In our case we own both sides of the road for about 800 feet but there are other owners that can enter and use the road.

The roadway was used on a regular basis for more than twenty years prior to us buying the property. The judge determined that not only did the land owners have a right to use the land so did the entire public due to the fact it had always been available for use. Further more upon discontinuing the road it was not stated "subject to gates and bars?" This is one of the legal issues that most people can get caught up in and there is little or nothing one can do but go to court and spend large sums of money to attempt to win the case.

What seems so typical can turn to A-Typical in an instant! One just has to be extremely careful with what they say or do as you can end up in court very quickly

 

[nickel plate]

Called an attitude adjustment.

That phrase has several definitions. Mine dates back to the early seventies when annually attending an LMA (Lumber Merchant's Association) three day seminar at the Asilomar, near Monterey and Carmel, CA., that meant that the bar was open and on the house for an hour in the early evening before the next meeting. Loved it and hated it.

 

[nworcest]

It sounds as though you have a Class V road. You can petition the town/city council to convert it to a Class VI, or even "Full Discontinuance", or there is process at the annual town meeting.

See:
http://www.nh.gov/oep/resourcelibrary/referencelibrary/c/classviroads/documents/chnrpcfactsheet.pdf

I've not been to a council or Town mtg for many years, but I recollect that it was a regular occurence.

Ned W.

With most roads that are discontinued the land returns to the abutters. If there are two owners on each side of the road then the road is divided in the center and each landowner owns to the center of the old road. Way back when they were discontinuing roads there was also a statement placed in the closing regarding the land being returned to the abutters and also abutters had a right to ingress and egress on the old road way to access the property. In our case we own both sides of the road for about 800 feet but there are other owners that can enter and use the road.

The roadway was used on a regular basis for more than twenty years prior to us buying the property. The judge determined that not only did the land owners have a right to use the land so did the entire public due to the fact it had always been available for use. Further more upon discontinuing the road it was not stated "subject to gates and bars?" This is one of the legal issues that most people can get caught up in and there is little or nothing one can do but go to court and spend large sums of money to attempt to win the case.

What seems so typical can turn to A-Typical in an instant! One just has to be extremely careful with what they say or do as you can end up in court very quickly

 

[dcyrilc]

Slightly off topic, but can you combine multiple frames from a video into one high quality image of a face or license plate? That would be slick.

I'm not sure what can actually be done, but I work for one of the local cities in the traffic signal shop and I make up fiberoptic cables for the bomb squad robot when needed. I gave these videos to one of our detectives to see what they could do with it. Our city has the best video enhancement software in the state and does work for other agencies when asked. They had no luck getting a plate off the video. It was great that they tried for me though. Sometimes it's nice having contacts.:thumbsup:

 

[Wis Bang]

You Dad is a better man than I am. My tractor tends to have mechanical issues if the job entails pulling the cops out of the mud.

My dad retired from the local municipality. He knew alot of cops.

Mom had a home sewing business; she sewed the stripes on this guy's boss's uniforms; he didn't get away w/ it! His later embarrassment made sure that his fellow officers didn't try and go that way & he smiled at dad every time he drove thru his speed trap..................

 

[WayneB]

It sounds as though you have a Class V road. You can petition the town/city council to convert it to a Class VI, or even "Full Discontinuance", or there is process at the annual town meeting.

See:
http://www.nh.gov/oep/resourcelibrary/referencelibrary/c/classviroads/documents/chnrpcfactsheet.pdf

I've not been to a council or Town mtg for many years, but I recollect that it was a regular occurence.

Ned W.

So as not to take away from this main issue of the posting I sent you a PM regarding my issues.

Wayne

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Seems to me there are two totally different issues rattling around this thread regarding rights to use the road.

One is whether this is still a public easement that anyone can use, and the effect of the government's abandonment of the maintenance. A nine page outline for MO law can be found at: http://www.missourisurveyor.org/docs/OWN POSS 2010 MO.pdf

The other is whether the neighbors have a private easement to use the road.