The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) are joining forces to urge landowners to prioritise road safety by trimming their hedgerows before the March 1 deadline. This proactive measure aims to mitigate potential hazards that overgrown hedges may pose to road users.
Well-maintained hedges play a crucial role in safeguarding road users, preventing them from being forced onto the road by overgrown vegetation. Moreover, trimmed hedges provide motorists with clear visibility, particularly on local rural roads where sightlines at junctions and road signs may otherwise be obstructed.
Failure to address overgrown hedgerows and roadside verges can have dire consequences, potentially resulting in road fatalities and serious injury collisions. It’s imperative for landowners to understand their responsibilities in maintaining hedgerows in a manner that ensures road safety.
While the Wildlife Act prohibits cutting, grubbing, burning, or destroying vegetation between March 1 and August 31, exceptions exist for road safety reasons. Local authorities have the authority to take direct action or issue notices to landowners to address potential hazards promptly.
By collaborating with landowners to uphold road safety standards through proactive hedgerow maintenance, this can ensure a collective approach to ensuring safer roads.
The full press release can be read here.