Hi,
Is it just me or are alot of the grass verges and tree branches not being cut?
Could it be the council cut backs? 
I remember years ago that the local bus company would send out an open top bus with a chap on the top deck with a pair of cutters for the branches…Now all the open top buses are on sight seeing tours!!
Now where did i put those mirror guards?.. 
Regards…
This has been winding me up lately, I’ve hit my mirrors a few times on certain a roads. You meet an oncoming truck on an extremely narrow stretch of road so move to the left as far as you dare but because the hedges etc havn’t been cut back you end up hitting a tree branch or something. Not broken a mirror yet but it’s only a matter of time. Why don’t the council cut them back? 
If your doing milk collections from farms just remember to dig the offside mirror harder into the hedge than the nearside, that way you don’t have to stop to fold it back out.
What a bunch of lightweights. 
schrodingers cat:
If your doing milk collections from farms just remember to dig the offside mirror harder into the hedge than the nearside, that way you don’t have to stop to fold it back out.What a bunch of lightweights.
When both mirror guards are playing the same note, I know the truck’s exactly in the middle of the road…
It’s just the time of year really - things grow faster than they can be cut. I counted 8 blokes on the A48 yesterday supporting 2 guys with strimmers and one on a mower, so you can see why cutting verges is expensive nowadays.
tyler4164:
Why don’t the council cut them back?
Since the late 1980’s, any cutting back of any overgrown vegetation has been carried out by the owners of said vegetation and local authorities have authority to enforce any works under section 154 of 1980 Highways act.
It’s more cost effective for councils to force land owners to do the work than to carry out the work themselves.
Think about it, if your tree is overhanging the highway why should you not be responsible for doing it yourself? Why should the council be doing it for you?
mick.mh2racing:
tyler4164:
Why don’t the council cut them back?Since the late 1980’s, any cutting back of any overgrown vegetation has been carried out by the owners of said vegetation and local authorities have authority to enforce any works under section 154 of 1980 Highways act.
It’s more cost effective for councils to force land owners to do the work than to carry out the work themselves.
Think about it, if your tree is overhanging the highway why should you not be responsible for doing it yourself? Why should the council be doing it for you?
Because they are responsible for keeping the roads safe
And that responsibility means that they can make you cut your trees back, or if you fail to do so, carry out works and send you the bill which is easily enforcable in any county court of England. The law may be an ■■■but it’s a simple enough process to enforce.
Upset one resident near Chinnor about 2 years ago because the lorry was touching his tree branches; which were overhanging the road…
Talking of verges, is it perfectly legal to run those stupid rocks into the grass that nimbys put at the roadside? I thought putting rocks at the roadside broke some traffic law?
Muckaway:
Upset one resident near Chinnor about 2 years ago because the lorry was touching his tree branches; which were overhanging the road…
Talking of verges, is it perfectly legal to run those stupid rocks into the grass that nimbys put at the roadside? I thought putting rocks at the roadside broke some traffic law?
Reminds me about a place in Blantyre i used to deliver to. It was in a residential area with tree branches hanging across the road from gardens. Another driver came down the street with a Double Decker and broke quite a few of the overhanging branches/logs. Resident phones the Police to complain that a big bad truck has just damaged his tree. The Police come out, do what they have to do and tells the resident that he has to get the trees cut back as they are causing an obstruction. And the best bit was, he was also told he would have to pay for any damage caused to the trailer too. 
I keep a wooden broom handle on the bunk, nearside mirror gets stuffed into the hedge, window down, poke it with the stick, window up and back in business again. Saves a lot of â– â– â– â– â– â– â– about.
Senario then. your driving down the road hit a branch, it rolls down the roof of the trailer and then goes throught the windsreen of the car following you and kills the driver (ok a bit drastic), injures him badly.
Who is to blame?
The owner of said overhanging tree would be. Section 154 of the 1980 Highways act says that owners of properties adjacent to the highway have a responsibility to maintain their trees and ensure that nothing is lower than, I think, 16’6" measured something like 18" back for the metalled edge of the highway.
It’s 25 years since I worked worked for Kent County Council in their planning office but local authorities don’t do any work. Yes they have a statutory duty but that duty extends only as far as ensuring land owners maintain their trees and force land owners to prevent anything overhanging.
weeto:
Senario then. your driving down the road hit a branch, it rolls down the roof of the trailer and then goes throught the windsreen of the car following you and kills the driver (ok a bit drastic), injures him badly.
Who is to blame?
I nearly had a scenario that you describe last year. Done a delivery to a place on Haggs Road, Glasgow with a Double Decker. Its just before a low bridge, so not many vehicles at 16ft high tend to use the road. Anyway, after doing the delivery, I went back onto the main road and there were some trees hanging over my side of the road. I though it was just some branches, but hidden by the leaves was a thick log. I hit it good style and the log broke off and landed on the opposite side of the road, just in front of a car. The woman driving seen the log falling and managed to stop in time. I reckon the log weighed at least 100kg, so you can imagine the damage it could have caused if she hadn’t stopped in time. I now have to drive for about 100 yards on the wrong side of the road to dodge the low branches when I do that drop, just in case it happens again.
But to answer your question, I don’t who would be to blame if the worst happened. Probably the trucker as usuall. But my thought are that any overhead obstruction under 16ft 6in has to be clearly marked. So if there are no warning signs, then how can the trucker be to blame. It would be the local authority IMO as they should be maintaining the trees.
wilbur:
When both mirror guards are playing the same note, I know the truck’s exactly in the middle of the road…It’s just the time of year really - things grow faster than they can be cut. I counted 8 blokes on the A48 yesterday supporting 2 guys with strimmers and one on a mower, so you can see why cutting verges is expensive nowadays.
Yep, sounds about right!
The thing that gets me is when you see 'em in the towns with those petrol-powered leaf blowers; what a total waste of fuel, time and effort! Are they too tired to use a brush?
There are certain areas worse than others though, Vale of Glamorgan springs to mind. I’m seriously tempted to suggest to my boss that we charge some of the farmers for hedge-trimming!
Midland Red bus company used to take this vehicle all over the West Midlands cutting trees back on their bus routes.
damoq:
weeto:
Senario then. your driving down the road hit a branch, it rolls down the roof of the trailer and then goes throught the windsreen of the car following you and kills the driver (ok a bit drastic), injures him badly.
Who is to blame?It would be the local authority IMO as they should be maintaining the trees.
Definitely not mate, the owner of the trees everytime.
Most of the bigger bus companies had one Dave; here’s some archive footage of one in action, not a hi-viz in sight!
And that’s one helluva chainsaw! 
gnasty gnome:
And that’s one helluva chainsaw!
nice toy, want one!
Flamin hell, that’s not a chainsaw it’s a mobile sawmill!
gnasty gnome:
Most of the bigger bus companies had one Dave; here’s some archive footage of one in action, not a hi-viz in sight!And that’s one helluva chainsaw!
Nice bit of film GG.The Midland Red one was based in Hereford and travelled all over the Midlands.
Cheers Dave.