Overgrown hedgerows ‘causing traffic hazards’ in Kerry

Uncut roadside hedges are causing traffic hazards and isolating some elderly people in rural areas, it has been claimed.

Mon, 27 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Donal Hickey

Landowners are obliged to cut back hedges and ditches on their properties, under the 1993 Roads Act, but a minority are failing to do so, according to Kerry Fine Gael councillor Patrick Connor-Scarteen.

He said older people were becoming prisoners in their own homes because of overgrown hedges on approach roads and community transport buses could no longer travel on such roads.

“Only for the assistance of good neighbours, these people might not be able to go for their weekly shop or doctor’s appointments,” he said.

Calling on Kerry County Council to tackle the problem, he said the council needed to be “more vigorous” in getting landowners to meet their obligations.

Hedge-cutting is banned from March 1 to August 31 but Mr Connor-Scarteen believed exceptions should be made when serious traffic or access issues arose.

Meanwhile, local authorities in tourist areas have been urged not to undertake road works during the summer which would cause traffic disruption and annoy visitors.

“It makes no sense to dig up roads when traffic is at its peak in the summer months. It only exacerbates the situation in busy tourist towns like Killarney, Kinsale, and Lahinch,” said Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune.

Kerry County Council roads director Charlie O’Sullivan said it was his council’s policy to ensure, as far as possible, all planned road works on tourist routes were undertaken outside of the peak tourism season.