Hedge Trimming Deadline: Owners Face Fines if Roadsides are not Clear

Ireland’s accident rates are rising. Road safety experts want better visibility and for hedges to be kept trimmed on smaller roads. Landowners must keep hedges off the road, and this rule applies to homes with road frontage.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is concerned, as Ireland’s accident numbers are against the EU trend. The RSA may fine landowners who ignore this and who fail to trim hedges by month’s end. Local councils will enforce this rule.

The RSA issued the warning, and other groups are involved too. These include the CCMA and the IRHA. The IRHA thinks hedges cause accidents and believes enforcement should be more common.

IRHA president Ger Hyland spoke out, noting that trucks often swerve to avoid hedges. This endangers everyone on the road. Hyland urges owners to trim hedges over four meters.

An RSA spokesperson also commented that landowners must act now to comply, which prevents local authority enforcement later. Councils usually maintain roadside verges. The Roads Act of 1993 covers hedge maintenance, making landowners responsible for their hedges.

The groups urge landowners to cut hedges so that they do not cause a road hazard. Hedges can be cut from September to February, but The Wildlife Act of 1976 restricts cutting hedges from March to August, usually. Road safety issues are an exception, and good hedges keep people off the road.

Road safety groups have a clear message: overgrown hedges cause safety problems. Landowners must take responsibility, because doing nothing could risk lives.