Road group 'sick and tired' of roadside hedges damaging vehicles

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) have called on local authorities to ensure that hedges are cut back, in particular at busy junctions. 

A road group that represents hauliers has claimed that overgrown roadside hedges and branches are causing damage to their vehicles.

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) have called on local authorities to ensure that hedges are cut back, in particular at busy junctions. 

According to the group, overgrown hedges are blocking sightlines at junctions, obstructing road signs and causing more accidents on our rural road network.

IRHA president Ger Hyland explained: “When hedges encroach onto the road, truck drivers are often forced to veer across the white line in order to avoid damage to their vehicles and wing mirrors, creating a dangerous situation for all road users.” 

Mr Hyland added: “An average medium sized haulier is losing 2 mirrors a week on their truck fleet. That is a cost of €1,000 a week due to mismanagement of our roadside vegetation” 

The IRHA is urging local authorities to consider both truck and trailer heights when cutting back hedgerows and to cut up to 4 metres high. 

Overgrown hedges and also present a clear danger for cyclists and pedestrians as they can push them out into traffic at the last minute, the IRHA said.

Mr Hyland called on local authorities to be more proactive when engaging with local landowners who border our rural roads network.

In order to help with conservation, hedge-cutting is prohibited from March 1 to August 31. However, there is an exemption in cases where overgrowth poses a road safety hazard.

Results from a 2024 Ipsos B&A survey of professional drivers, commissioned by the RSA, found that 75% of 620 HGV drivers surveyed reported overgrown roadside hedgerows to be challenging while driving.

The IRHA has said their members are "sick and tired of continual inaction on dangerous tree branches and hedges protruding out onto our roads."