Overgrown ditches creating ‘clear and obvious dangers’ for motorists in Rosslare district as Wildlife Act spreads fear among farmers

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Regulations around hedge-cutting in the summer months are causing potentially lethal problems for motorist across the Rosslare district with some junctions rendered almost invisible by overgrown ditches. Under the Wildlife Act it is illegal for landowners to cut hedges between March 1 and August 31. However, there are some exceptions with local authorities permitted to trim back ditches in instances where it is considered a hazard for road users.

Calls were made for additional council staff to be allocated to cut hedges at the June meeting of the Rosslare Municipal District (RMD).

“Our hedge cutting system is not working, hedges are not being cut, and we must re-evaluate this,” said Cllr Jim Codd. “We must cut the hedges of those who won’t do it and send the bills to them; bus drivers and lorries are having their mirrors broken off, contractors trying to cut hay are not able to travel down the roads.

"We have to look after these people, they’re having their mirrors broken and having to pay up to €500 to fix them,”

Laying part of the blame on the “rules and regulations”, Cllr Frank Staples said farmers were permitted to cut their hedges out of season provided they contact Wexford County Council (WCC) beforehand.

“If they were left to cut them in the summer a lot more would do it,” he said. “But because of the regulations they’d be reported. And the roads are getting narrower by the day. I know that if farmers want to cut a hedge they can call the council and explain that it’s dangerous and they’ll be allowed, but the season is way too short, it should be extended to April 1. ”

One junction in particular was described as “terrifying” by Cllr Aoife Rose O’Brien.

“At Gurteenminogue in Murntown, you’re taking your life into your hands there,” she said. “It’s so dangerous, if you’re turning left you cannot see the traffic coming against you. It’s absolutely terrifying.”

With councillors requesting clarity on what can and can’t be done in the summer months, district manager Nóirín Cummins provided an update from the council’s roads safety officer.

“There are some exemptions where the council can cut hedges for road safety reasons, such as at junctions where sight lines are affected and road signs are obscured,” she said. “However, any largescale cutting from the council would divert funding and resources from our road strengthening budget.”

The practicality of the Wildlife Act itself and its effectiveness in protecting nesting birds was called into question by Cllr Codd who said very few animals resided so close to humanity.

“I spend most of my life on the land, and the wildlife is going to live back from the roads,” he said. “I laugh when I see these patches of long grass alongside the roads, there’s no self-respecting hare or rabbit going to live there, they’d get hit by a car. A level of common sense is required, we want those creatures to have areas untouched back from the roads.”

With Ms Cummins admitting that the roads strengthening programme took priority, Cllr Lisa McDonald then asked whether the RMD had the staff to properly address overgrown hedges and ditches in the district.

“There are hedges where there’s a clear danger, where you cannot see the turns ahead,” she said. “I think there’s a staffing issue in the RMD, when the roads programme commences it gets the full attention of the engineer, and hedge cutting falls to the wayside. We have a serious staffing issue and it needs to be addressed. We need someone who is ready, willing, and able to deal with these other matters, these clear and obvious dangers.“

Calling upon director of roads Eamonn Hore to look into the matter, Cllr McDonald requested an update from Ms Cummins at the July meeting.

Separately, the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has said that the lack of hedgerow management is leading to “a significant number of road traffic accidents” on rural roads. Calling on local authorities to ensure that roadside hedges are cut back at busy junctions, IRHA president Ger Hyland said overgrown hedgerows pose a particular danger for high-sided vehicles such as trucks.

“When hedges encroach onto the road, truck drivers are often forced to veer across the white line in order to avoid damage to their vehicles and wing mirrors, creating a dangerous situation for all road users,” said Mr Hyland. “On average a medium-sized haulier is losing two mirrors a week on their truck fleet. That is a cost of €1000 due to mismanagement of our roadside vegetation.”

Mr Hyland criticised local authorities for not enforcing the law around hedge cutting and cited Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993 which he said “sets out a clear responsibility on landowners to maintain roadside hedgerows”.

Stating that enforcement from local authorities is “non-existent”, Mr Hyland said his organisation is very aware of the importance of hedgerows and biodiversity, but road safety must take priority.