Landowners in Wicklow and throughout the country are being urged to cut their overgrown hedgerows to avoid potential road safety hazards.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) have asked landowners to ensure their hedgerows are cut before 1 March, in accordance with the law.
The current Wildlife Act states the designated season of the cutting of hedgerow and verges runs from September until the end of February.
The Roads Act 1993 places responsibility for the maintenance of roadside hedges on the owners and occupiers of the adjoining lands, with responsibility for the maintenance of roadside verges resting with local authorities.
Both the RSA and An Garda Síochána have warned hedgerows not being trimmed can lead to road traffic collisions, including fatalities.
They also pose difficulties for pedestrians and cyclists, but also to trucks and agricultural vehicles carrying loads, especially on local rural roads in the case of sightlines at junctions or obstructions to road signs
The CEO of the RSA said “road safety is a shared responsibility, and it is important that landowners remain alert and take accountability for maintaining hedgerows”.
“We will only make our roads a safer place if we all step up to the mark and take personal responsibility for what happens on the roads,” said Sam Waide.
