Renewal of the Roadside Hedge Cutting Appeal to Ensure Road Safety
Date: 13-02-2023
Mayo County Council is issuing a renewed call for landowners, farmers and householders to ensure their roadside hedges and overhanging trees are cut and maintained so that motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can travel safely on our roads.
The 2022/23 hedge cutting season which started on September 1st, 2022 will end on February 28th 2023.
Mayo County Council is calling on landowners/occupiers and householders in rural and urban areas, to ensure that roadside hedges are cut and maintained so that motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can travel safely on all roads and that similarly over hanging vegetation in urban areas be cut back from footpaths and at junctions. We would like to thank all compliant landowners, occupiers and householders for their work within our communities to make the roads in County Mayo safer for all road users.
Tom Gilligan, Director of Services with Mayo County Council said “The Roads Department of Mayo County Council has had numerous representations from road users concerning the overgrown state of hedgerows and also overhanging trees along some of our rural roads and the serious road safety issues that can result."
“While we would like to compliment the many landowners who maintain their roadside hedges, there are a significant number who fail to cut and maintain their roadside hedges resulting in road safety issues. We are calling on these to act before the hedge cutting season ends on February 28th 2023 to ensure that they properly maintain their roadside hedges and overhanging trees as they are obliged to do under the law.”
Japanese Knotweed SHOULD NOT BE CUT. No ground disturbance should take place at these sites at any time of year. Please report any instances of Japanese Knotweed to info@mayo.ie.
Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993 places responsibility for the maintenance of roadside hedges on the owners/occupiers of the adjoining lands.
The season when hedge cutting is permitted under the Wildlife Act is between the start of September and the end of February the following year.
Mayo County Council launched an awareness campaign in August 2022 to remind landowners of their hedge cutting responsibilities.
Mayo County Council carries out a verge cutting program on its road network. If you have any queries in relation to verge cutting in your area, you are advised to contact your Municipal District Office.
Road Safety is a shared responsibility, it’s about us all doing our share to make our roads safer and ensure the success of our Road Safety Strategy