Penrose had a ‘near miss’ when tree fell

A member of Westmeath County Council told of how he had a "near miss" while driving on a local road in the county shortly before a tree fell during a recent storm.

Cllr Johnny Penrose said his niece, who was driving a short distance behind him and came upon the fallen tree, rang him immediately to see if he was safe.

The councillor tabled a motion before the January meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District calling on the council to carry out a survey of all trees lining the roads within the district in an effort to identify trees that need removing or pose a danger to passing motorists.

Cllr Penrose received widespread support from his colleagues for the motion, including from Cllr Tom Farrell who said it was his own "personal view" that there should be no trees along any road.

However, his Green Party colleague, Cllr Louise Heavin, said that, while she agreement with "the sentiment" of the motion, she said it was "a terrible idea" as had been suggested by Cllr Farrell, that all roadside trees should be cut down. "We need to run awareness workshops for landowners," she suggested.

Cllr John Dolan said the motion was not "anti-tree" and if farmers had to cut down trees along the roadside they should be encouraged to plant three more trees to replace them. "Farmers would have no problem whatsoever with that," he said. "We are planting trees all the time, and prevention is the best cure when it comes to dangerous trees."

Director of Services, Barry Kehoe, said the council are "very conscious of the risks associated with roadside trees" and are in regular contact with landowners about the issue. "Farmers are very much aware of this issue and they do monitor the trees on their lands on a regular basis," he said.

He pointed out that it would "not be practical" to carry out a survey of all the trees on the road network across the district, but he said the council would engage in a social media campaign to remind farmers and landowners of their responsibilities.

In his motion, Cllr Penrose said there had been "several issues" where trees have fallen and where people have had "close calls" and he said the situation needs to be remedied immediately before a tragedy strikes again.

In their written response to the motion, Westmeath County Council said "a survey is not practicable, given the extent of the public road network in the District. However, the council will follow up with relevant landowners where potentially dangerous trees are identified. It must be noted, particularly by landowners, that the owner is responsible for all the trees on a property and must monitor and maintain trees on an on-going basis to protect public safety."