ABU in expecting councils and road authorities to make sure road signs do not get lost in greenery?

We have experienced the same problems and have also noticed that on the smaller roundabouts the shrubbery and grass has grown so high that it is very difficult to see the oncoming traffic already on the roundabout.

Everywhere looks shabby and neglected. Roundabouts are overgrown and I always thought drivers were supposed to be able to see across a roundabout. Graveyards are a mess with grass up to your thighs.

No Mow May is well over now so I hope councils get on and tidy up now.

Greenfinch

We have experienced the same problems and have also noticed that on the smaller roundabouts the shrubbery and grass has grown so high that it is very difficult to see the oncoming traffic already on the roundabout.

Ha! Our posts crossed 😝

Yes, many covered by growth or so filthy that they cannot be read.

Yes indeed. I've found this a nuisance lately and wish they would cut it back. It seems obvious, so why don't they just get on with it.

Councils will use the no money excuse they see it as a way of saving on the budget, our council now seem to cut verges, hedges and grass every 3mths instead of fortnightly. It’s unsightly and messy especially in the parks it’s now like walking in a hay field. They also don’t clean the road signs as often.

I think this is important, driving lost, stressed and hunting for signs is not safe

tanith

Councils will use the no money excuse they see it as a way of saving on the budget, our council now seem to cut verges, hedges and grass every 3mths instead of fortnightly. It’s unsightly and messy especially in the parks it’s now like walking in a hay field. They also don’t clean the road signs as often.

They use that excuse for not mending potholes too.
To be fair, near us the grass has been cut more often but trimming the trees doesn’t happen unless you report it and clearing bushes and ground plants that overflow onto the pavement hasn’t happened since Covid.

On my local Facebook page some people are protesting because the council have recently cut long grass areas! They would like them to be wildflower meadows. That’s all very well where it is safe, but road safety has to be a priority. I was relieved when grass at roundabouts was cut last week, but there is still an issue with road signs.

I think it appalling too, and a great pity that neither Labour or the Tories have said how they will fund local government services if they win next Thursday. That's the crux of it.

'No money' isn't the excuse it's the reason.

'Savings' through council tax remaining static can only mean cuts to services - including now no cuts to road verges and overhanging trees.

We experienced that last week, couldn't see one sign at all, I like some of the wild flowers along verges, but there are areas that are so overgrown now they are obscuring direction signs, which need to be visible.

In the name of wildlife councils are not maintaining signs or roadsides/junctions, it is dangerous, your county/local councillor is your best contact, just raise hell and it will get done.

It's the same around here too. I was just thinking the other day how neglected everywhere looks. It's not a great impression for visitors to the area. I understand the concept of not cutting verges etc for the sake of wildlife, but surely there is a balance between that and having everywhere just looking neglected and unkempt, and road signs unable to be seen. And reporting it to our local council seems to be a waste of time - I've reported various issues like this and nothing has been done about them.

This year it has hit home that many city and town councils are really struggling with affording the resources and manpower to do what they usually do.
Our local media is filled with complaints and grumbles over just that, along with the dreadful potholes,
The council in reply has said that the exponential growth caused by the persistent rain has been an added challenge.
I have to say that I love the “lushness” but appreciate that it is a potential hazard for motorists.
I have seen weeds ..(sorry, flowers in the wrong location) sprouting up in places I’d never seen them before. For example around pedestrian crossings. It looks so scruffy in parts, then with added litter, it has created a picture of neglect.

I have also noticed that after any work has been carried out by trades people they do not always remove the "diversion", "road closed" etc. when they have finished. They then get left there and often the grass grows over them.

It is also misleading and can take you miles out of your way. Surely they would be more benefical back in their yard for future use.

Road signs that canot be read are a safety issue and could lead to road accidents, injuries and deaths, as drivers either fail to obey signs they didn't see or are searching for signs they expect to see but cannot.

Considering how much money is being spent introducing 20 mile speed limits everywhere. If councils can afford to pay for all the new road signs and road markings, then there is no excuse for not sending a couple of council workers round every road once a month wearing high vis jackets and clutching loppers and tree saws and responsible for cutting back any overgrown greenery.

I do not have a problem with over grown roundabouts, but I do, again have a problem with overgrown vision splays at T junctions. We live in a rural area and we have one notorious corner where the stalk of the T comes in at an angle, where unless you are a giraffe it is impossible to see traffic coming along the road from the left as the grass has grown so high.

I think householders are responsible for trimming back their own hedges which overhang the pavement. Highways are the responsibility of the councils.
Another problem which arises is the foliage along rivers and canals. They also need kept under control. Councils want people to make more use of towpaths but walking, cycling and boating are not much fun when you're constantly slapped in the face by trees and bushes.

A lot of verges and roundabouts are terribly overgrown and dangerous in some cases.
Another thing that is being noticed is the spread of poisonous plants mixed up with long grass. Lots of Ragwort, which a few years ago people were getting up groups to go pulling up as it was getting into fields used by horses etc and this week someone posted on a local FB group that she had found a lot of Hemlock (looks very similar to Cow parsley) when walking her dog. In an area that always used to be cut, now left to be "wild".

A few years ago I complained repeatedly to the local council about some traffic lights that were obscured by an overhanging tree. I was ignored until I told them that should I ever witness an accident at that point I would advise the parties involved about my complaints - it was cut back within a week.

It was reported in the newspapers this morning that a motor cyclist was killed when someone was unable to see him when they pulled out of a junction because the grass had grown so tall.

The police descrbed the accident as 'unavoidable' and that the Council had not cut the grass on that junction in May 'to allow bees to breed'.

Now I am no naturalist, but I am left wondering just how many bees would have bred in the grass of a vision splay. Most bees live in colonies and, while there are solitary bees, we have masonry bees nesting in a stone wall, one site I consulted said that grass nesting or tunnel digging bees prefer short grass.

I appreciate it an uncut vision splay may well encourage other insects, but not bees.

Either way, someone has died because of uncut vision splays.

I think that the 20 mph limits are usually funded out of capital budgets - they're one-off expenditure, which grass-cutting is not.
In many rural or semi-rural areas it would make logistical sense if parish councils were reimbursed for getting this work done through local labour - most parish councils employ people to maintain playing fields etc - but there seem to be insuperable difficulties.

A few years back, when central government's financial starvation of local government really started to bite, our county council reduced the cutting and maintenance of verges, hedges and parks down to four measly times a year. And it shows.

Winterwhite said

"No money' isn't the excuse it's the reason."

and that is correct.

M0nica

It was reported in the newspapers this morning that a motor cyclist was killed when someone was unable to see him when they pulled out of a junction because the grass had grown so tall.

The police descrbed the accident as 'unavoidable' and that the Council had not cut the grass on that junction in May 'to allow bees to breed'.

Now I am no naturalist, but I am left wondering just how many bees would have bred in the grass of a vision splay. Most bees live in colonies and, while there are solitary bees, we have masonry bees nesting in a stone wall, one site I consulted said that grass nesting or tunnel digging bees prefer short grass.

I appreciate it an uncut vision splay may well encourage other insects, but not bees.

Either way, someone has died because of uncut vision splays.

How sad and avoidable if they would just cut back the grass!

These people who want to rewild everything really irritate me. We live on a lane. I usually arrange for the bank to be strimmed as it catches on our vehicles. The woman at the end refused to give me £5 towards it last year as “I like it like that for the bees and wildlife”.

I pointed out to her that in our very rural area does she think her few metres of bank will make much difference to bees when we are surrounded by fields, woodland, streams, bogland, ancient woods etc. she is just a tight wad!