Landowners urged to cut overgrown hedges to improve road safety

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) are calling on landowners to cut their hedgerows by the end of the month to ensure they are not causing a road safety hazard.

Under the Wildlife Act 1976, hedge-cutting is prohibited from 1 March to 31 August, except in cases where overgrowth poses a road safety hazard.

Properly maintained hedges ensure vulnerable road users are not forced onto the road by overgrown hedges. It additionally affords motorists a clear view of what is in front of them or around a bend, especially on rural roads in the case of sightlines at junctions or obstructions to road signs.

Sam Waide, Chief Executive of the RSA said landowners should act now to ensure compliance and avoid potential enforcement actions by local authorities. He added: “Overgrown hedgerows can pose a road safety hazard. We all have a role to play in making roads safer, and landowners must take responsibility. Inaction could endanger lives."

Chair of the CCMA Transport, Infrastructure and Networks Committee, and Chief Executive of Westmeath County Council, Barry Kehoe said: “Local authorities fulfil a vital role in maintaining roadside verges and managing local road safety risks, while also safeguarding the biodiversity value of our hedgerows.

“Landowners and residents living along public roads have a clear responsibility to ensure that trees and hedges on their property do not create a hazard for people walking, cycling, or driving. If overgrowth is obstructing visibility, encroaching onto the roadway, or masking road signs, landowners should take prompt action to address it. We are also asking members of the public to report any road safety concerns caused by overgrown vegetation to their local authority, whereby we can then engage directly with the landowner where needed.”