Overhanging trees and lack of hedgetrimming

[Oscar]

What's the rest of the country like because in West Somerset some roads are basically inpassable due to the lack of hedgetrimmimg and also now in full leaf , dropping branches . The council last year started only doing one cut on hedges ie 4 ft high from road surface . Even two is crap for lorries,tractors etc as its around 10 ft high you have mirrors etc. I ve broken 4 mirrors so far this year on SP sprayer, £ 45 / time . Four nd out that I can report to council ( roads that are bad) which I am doing but not seeing any action. Don t know what the answer is really ?.

Ps, West Somerset is like Devon with earth banks and proper hedges on at best a 10 / 12 ft road ie proper hedges and narrow roads. Guess a lot of you have no such thing to deal with ? I will post some pics later this week when there again.

 

[robs1]

No wilts is the same, one road I travel a lot has hedges over hanging at height that its impossible to pass cars coming the other way in several places, Unless I have a high load on I always fold in the near side mirrors, they wouldn't last 5 minutes

 

[deleted user 837354]

Exactly the same here in North/Mid Somerset. Council don't do any hedge cutting and they don't even put out salt in winter. January time I counted 5 cars in the hedge on my way to work. Somerset CC are skint due to their own ineffectual management.

 

[R J]

We are finding that some of the local middle class toss#rs love to leave their headges to encroach on the road , ( not all , some locals do a good job and keep them well trimmed )
The w#$kers that do let there headges go and overhang the road get proper upperty when wagons and kit knock there branches !
Same people that love to put stones on there verges too !!

 

[czechmate]

Fold the mirrors in?

 

[robs1]

Exactly the same here in North/Mid Somerset. Council don't do any hedge cutting and they don't even put out salt in winter. January time I counted 5 cars in the hedge on my way to work. Somerset CC are skint due to their own ineffectual management.

It's not the councils job to cut private hedges back they will/should write to owners and tell them to do it nor imvho salt roads, if people learnt to drive and use winter tyres they wouldn't end up in the ditch, why should CT payers pay because some are too lazy or stupid

 

[deleted user 837354]

It's not the councils job to cut private hedges back they will/should write to owners and tell them to do it nor imvho salt roads, if people learnt to drive and use winter tyres they wouldn't end up in the ditch, why should CT payers pay because some are too lazy or stupid

They do the bare minimum of verge and hedge cutting. I agree private owners should be obliged to do theirs annually.

Salt on the roads is a basic part of road safety. I've seen too many HGVs smashed up on the roads around here in winter, salt should be applied. It's only needed a few times a season.

 

[roscoe erf]

around here its quite funny (if it wasn't you'd cry) they do a pass at car wing mirror level and thats it so the top grows in and f**ks your wing mirrors on very expensive trucks

 

[robs1]

Yes

They do the bare minimum of verge and hedge cutting. I agree private owners should be obliged to do theirs annually.

Salt on the roads is a basic part of road safety. I've seen too many HGVs smashed up on the roads around here in winter, salt should be applied. It's only needed a few times a season.

Yes but salt melts the snow or ice which then dilutes the salt allowing it to refreeze so causing vehicles to skid, winter tyres dont skid on ice, having first tried them 8 years ago I would never use summer tyres in winter the difference is amazing

 

[kill]

Loads of road hedges only trimmed every second/ third year or more and overhanging hedges are simply awful. Had to dray bales through the night on a block of ground I rent during last week as a narrow lane that hasn’t been trimmed for over 5 years would be some what brutal on hot bale wrap but less so on cooler dew wet bales.
At least my trailer ladies rattle well as had to pass the offenders property twice every load.

Also replaced a lot of mirrors due to these uncut hedges but certain makes are worst than others to break. MX 120 Case would break a mirror head more often than anything else I have ever owned

 

[deleted user 837354]

Yes

Yes but salt melts the snow or ice which then dilutes the salt allowing it to refreeze so causing vehicles to skid, winter tyres dont skid on ice, having first tried them 8 years ago I would never use summer tyres in winter the difference is amazing

It's pointless to change tyres for the 3 days a year the roads freeze here. What about HGVs, school buses and the like? It's easier to salt the roads.

 

[Sid]

Have reported the councils own verge trees pushing vehicles off the road and have broken 2 mirrors
Their response was to fill in 1 pothole and say due to Coronovirus virus they couldn't expect the land owner to cut back vegetation and its bird nesting season .
So I have reported it again via website and spoke to Chair of Parish council.
They are now getting contractors in to cut back hedge.

Damage to road edge will cost thousands. Hedge trim will cost hundreds.

 

[deleted user 837354]

You keep taking your slurry tanker down that road Sid with those huge tyres on and that road will end up twice as wide in a few years...

 

[Exfarmer]

Many of these country lanes may only have a designated width of 8 feet! The council only has a direct duty when the hedge has encroached within the designated Width

 

[robs1]

It's pointless to change tyres for the 3 days a year the roads freeze here. What about HGVs, school buses and the like? It's easier to salt the roads.

Winter/ all season tyres give better control and shorter stopping distances in rain and at temps below 8 degrees, so are useful all winter and are available for all vehicle types, a two wheel drive car on winters will go places easily that a 4wd on summers wont look at,

 

[Slippery Slope]

I find the straw lorry coming in each summer to be a great help with sorting out the local good lifers over hanging limbs! The hedges themselves have got beyond ridiculous now though, it makes the roads so dark.

 

[Sid]

You keep taking your slurry tanker down that road Sid with those huge tyres on and that road will end up twice as wide in a few years...

Road is wide enough, there is 18 inches of tarmac under that hedge on the left

 

[Werzle]

Its the same around me, if you phone the council about low branches they snip a foot off rather than make a tidy job and people are putting signs up on garden hedges asking for them not to be cut . They soon moan when the straw wagons brush past and deposit a blanket of straw on every pass. Im tempted to pay the contractor to do some early morning work thrashing it back and say nothing. I would quite like to hire a digger with a tree jaw cutter and drive the lanes lopping it all off tbh too!

 

[RAF]

I just ram them back into there hedge when passing with loadall any branches .What they goin do ?‍

 

[Sid]

Its the same around me, if you phone the council about low branches they snip a foot off rather than make a tidy job and people are putting signs up on garden hedges asking for them not to be cut . They soon moan when the straw wagons brush past and deposit a blanket of straw on every pass

All done by contractors.
How do the council measure how much to trim back? If you lightly trim you can cover twice as much and make more profit with less wear and tear. That's better than inefficiencies of councils employing own staff somehow?