Councillor calls for an increase in hedge-cutting funds

Calls for an increase in hedge-cutting funds


Anton McNulty

THE state of the county’s hedges are becoming a major safety hazard for motorists according to a Mayo councillor who called for the hedge-cutting budget to be increased.
A budget of €150,000 has been provided in the 2009 Road Works Programme for hedge cutting and verge trimming on Local and Regional Roads and this will provide for works to be carried out on 450 to 550kms of road. The section of roads will be determined at Electoral Area level in consultation with local councillors and each electoral area is expected to have 80km of hedges to cut.
However, Independent councillor Michael Holmes says this will only cater for 25 per cent of the county and fears that the public’s safety is being put at risk.
“Hedge-Cutting is one of the most important issues that we come up against and I feel funding should be switched from others areas to it. It is getting more and more out of hand as years go by particularly with the downturn in farming and rules in relation to REPS and farmers not being allowed to cut hedges. The council are only allowed to cut at certain times and this is all adding up to the problem getting worse every year.
“It is edging vehicles further out towards the centre on both sides and it is making the roads narrow. It is making it more dangerous for people walking and cycling and it is torture for a lot of drivers. I get umpteen calls about this every day and so does every other councillor from what they tell me,” he said.
Cllr Holmes said the problem has been escalating for the last number of years with the funding getting smaller and the extra expense in hedge-cutting. He said that the wet summers were increasing growth and called for the window for hedge-cutting to be widened especially along main roads.
“The regulations should be scaled back because people’s safety should take priority. I reckon the budget will be lucky to do 25 per cent of the hedges that need cutting. We have a colossal amount of by-roads over a huge terrain and I feel that substantial extra funding should be given to hedge-cutting.”