RSA and council ask landowners to cut hedges in interest of road safety

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) are calling on landowners to cut their hedges before the March 1 deadline, to ensure they are not causing a potentially serious road safety hazard.

In a media statement, the two organisations said that properly maintained hedges protect vulnerable road users who are not forced on to the road by overgrown hedges.

It affords motorists a clear view of what is in front of them or around the a bend, especially on local rural roads in the case of sightlines at junctions or obstructions to road signs.

Overgrown hedgerows and roadside verges can result in road fatalities and serious injury collisions.

In accordance with the Wildlife Act, it is an offence to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated or growing in any hedge or ditch, between 1 March and 31 August.

There are some exceptions to that, including if there are grounds to act for road safety reasons.

Local authorities can and do either take direct action themselves or serve a notice on the landowner to do something in such instances.

Sam Waide, chief executive, RSA, said: “We are calling on all landowners across the country to be aware of the impact that overgrown hedgerows can have on themselves and on other road users.

“They can cause a road safety hazard that could potentially result in loss of life or serious injury to yourself, a member of your family, or another member of your community.

“Road safety is a shared endeavour, and it is important that landowners remain alert and take responsibility for maintaining hedgerows. We will only make our roads a safer place if we all take as much care as possible for what happens on the roads.”

On behalf of local authorities, John McLaughlin, chair of the County and City Management Association Climate Action, Transport, Circular Economy, and Networks Committee, said: “Local authorities have an obligation to ensure roadside verges are maintained and that local road safety issues should be prioritised, while also recognising the commitments under directives to preserve hedgerows and promote biodiversity.

“Equally, landowners and anyone living along the roadside has a responsibility to check that hedges or trees on their property are not causing a road safety hazard. If they are, the landowners should take the necessary steps needed to ensure road safety. We are also calling on members of the public to report road safety issues caused by overgrowth to their local authority, which can then contact the landowner.”