Time for action – keep those verges clear

Traversing the highways and byways of this bejewelled isle during what has been a rubbish summer weather-wise, it has become very clear that there is a huge road safety issue which is being completely ignored by the authorities: verge cutting.

Now I know it is technically illegal to cut verges between March 1 and August 31 and that there has been much disagreement between farmers and environmentalists as to when is the best time to do this vital work. I also know that the Government department responsible for the laws in this regard - the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, believe it or not - is reviewing the existing situation, but the bottom line is that while all this arguing and reviewing is going on, an issue of major safety concern has arisen.

I’ve been through large tracts of Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Clare, Kilkenny, Wexford, Laois, Tipperary, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal and the situation seems to be the same everywhere - nothing is being done regarding verge, hedge and tree trimming.