Cork County Council are to write to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to seek a review of the national hedge-cutting rules, following on from councillors warning of the danger roadside ditches are causing for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike across the county.
The motion was brought by Cllr Peter O’Donoghue at this week’s full council meeting, where he called for clearer national rules around cutting roadside hedges during the ongoing closed period, which runs from March 1st and ends on August 31st to facilitate birds nesting.
“We see it all across the county every summer,” Cllr O’Donoghue said. “Hedges, briars, and trees grow out onto roads and create a very dangerous environment for those who use our roads, especially cyclists and pedestrians”.
A large number of councillors backed the motion, describing rural roads where briars are ‘meeting in the middle’, pedestrians being forced off footpaths and commercial vehicles’ long wing mirrors being damaged by such overgrowth.
Full story in this week’s Print & Digital Edition.
