Grass verges

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Grass verges
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Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 14 9:00 am Post subject: Grass verges

What would happen if they were never cut?

They have been rather disappointingly mown again, just as everything was looking lovely. I don't know why they cut a B road that can only just take two cars. Is there some safety reason? They have decided not to grit the road this winter. That is going to be difficult for us and definitely dangerous.

Are there any useful facts you can add to my letter to my local Councillor?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 14 9:05 am Post subject:
Visibility is quite severely affected if they're left long and the less you cut the more the taller weedy species encroach as the grasses rely on something either mowing, flattening or eating them.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 14 9:07 am Post subject:

Well there's the Plantlife campaign for a start: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/roadvergecampaign/why_are_road_verges_so_important

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22671186

I'm certainly in favour of less mowing but some trimming may be required for safety and it's not ideal when cycling around the country lanes to battle past brambles several foot into the road.

It would also help if motorists didn't sit in the middle of the road when faced with a bit of grass dangling out of the verge.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 14 9:10 am Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

It would also help if motorists didn't sit in the middle of the road when faced with a bit of grass dangling out of the verge.

This is curious isn't it. That's what we've noticed. People do not pull over making passing difficult. When the verges are cut they erode the banks though and the road gradually widens.

Thanks for the other info you two.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 14 9:15 am Post subject:
They are not going to collect the cuttings and they only cut it once a year but should it be now? We can only cut our hay meadows from 15 July and we are guessing that this is the date the Council are using.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 14 9:15 am Post subject:
If, as round here, you have invasive blackthorn, you just end up with a hedge where there was previously verge. It's just like any untended land area, eventually it turns to scrub, then to woodland.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4630
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 14 10:27 am Post subject:

In defence of car drivers (sorry!) - unless you know the road it's often impossible to tell whether a verge is just overgrown or you're about to side-swipe a 3 foot tall earth bank

Anything completely left alone will eventually be covered in weeds and scrub; but I believe there are campaigns to leave the annual haircut until after wild flowers have set seed.

https://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/news_local/9062072.Verges_are_a_haven_for_wild_flowers/?ref=rss

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 14 12:40 am Post subject:
I took a few photos of a verge that doesn't get cut today;

pollyanna

Joined: 03 Nov 2012
Posts: 221

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 14 12:57 am Post subject:

They have to cut the verges at least once a year or the ditches get blocked.
Joyously they have cut them at least 6 weeks later this year, but I think that's because the men who are contracted to do it have been too busy on silage until now.
There is a roundabout on the A40 locally with a fine stand of orchids. Two year's back I was told it wasn't mown to allow the orchids to seed. This year it was scalped quite early; too early.
The reason I'm wary of pulling over too far is hidden ditches. Funny how owners of ultra-clean four wheel drives are unwilling even to squeeze into the side of the road.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 14 1:08 am Post subject:
mowing good at the right times grazing good ditto un cut wider hedge

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15996

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 14 8:53 am Post subject:

Agree with that Dpack. It is sensible to keep the vegetation down at junctions and where visibility is needed, but otherwise, one cut in the late summer or autumn is better. Round our way they tend to keep the verges short and employ monkeys for peanuts to do the job. It took ages for them to even wear ear defenders and hard hats, and we think at least one of the companies wasn't training their staff properly.

We cut back a public footpath along the edge of our wood that had been badly overgrown for years. The first few years we got an amazing range of flowers, but now the trees and shrubs have overgrown it, we have lost the flowers. If we really worked to cut it right back, we would get them back again though.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 14 10:40 am Post subject:

It's easier to cut the whole thing as it's difficult to know where extra visibility is needed when you don't use the stretch of road or the gateways off it yourself. It has to be done in Spring or the nettles and yarrow make it impossible, and narrow roads are worse than the wider ones.

The wider verges round here tend to be cut for hay by the adjacent farms, the narrow ones cut by the council contractors, or topped by farmers if we get fed up of waiting. Often they'll only do one width nearest the road early on and then the full width later in the season.

Castle Farm

Joined: 17 Sep 2008
Posts: 457
Location: Powys/Hereford Border.Near Hay-on-Wye

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 14 1:14 pm Post subject:

Our local council has stopped cutting verges...I do my own.

If you want a real treat have a look at the verges on the A3 surrey.

Millions and I mean millions of ragwort plants grow every where.
When we lived down there, we had to buy our hay from Hampshire and it was very expensive due to transport costs. I pull what I see growing around here, but a lot don't bother.

Cut the verges and help the wildlife.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 14 2:26 pm Post subject:
Funnily enough you get told to leave ragwort for the wildlife. I used to always pull it up until I realised that I most often saw large patches in fields of livestock and horses. I have noticed that round here this year only some parts of the verges have now been cut on the backroads, around junctions and the inside of a bend for example. If it's been done on purpose it seems rather sensible.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 14 2:57 pm Post subject:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69264/pb9840-cop-ragwort.pdf

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