road verges on rural roads - NERC Open Research Archive ...

Not necessarily tidiness (3) except possibly on motorways complimented
for leaving flowers
Encourage spring flowers. Don't try to make a lawn (2)
Appearance and amenity includes 'weeds'.
Matter of cost, would like to cut more. Uncut areas at back of verge
look 'scruffy'.
Close mown grass = tidiness = view of.the public and the traveller.
Houseproud, pride in neat and tidy appearance (3)
Tourist area (4). Keep tidy, cut right back, looks neater.
Not a parks department. Amenity cutting kept to a minimum.
Aim to keep as natural as possible in rural areas.
Pressure from urban and suburban people coming out to live in the
country to keep the <strong>verges</strong> tidy.
Country people complaining about untidy <strong>verges</strong>.
Mainly country people complaining about loss of wild flowers
Avoid disturbance of pheasants' nests (5) and local landowners
Litter control (2) Tidy <strong>verges</strong> remain tidy.
Fanners want on <strong>verges</strong> (wildflowers etc.) what they have lost in
their own fields.
and to sum the situation up:
(w) Give a pleasant impression. Road to fit the surroundings.
(x) The public expects <strong>road</strong> <strong>verges</strong> to be cut and the Highway Department
would consider that good enough.
In built-up areas the problems of hay-fever sufferers might well be considered
under this heading, though whether they would regard the control of pollen
production by cutting in June an amenity or a necessity, is debatable. However,
control of grass for this purpose is only a practical possibility in built-up
areas and villages.
Clearly there are amenity reasons for managing <strong>road</strong>side <strong>verges</strong>, even if they
are interpreted differently by different people. However, this does imply active
management as for engineering purpoaes, with an assessment of the differing
aspects of amenity appropriate to different areas, including natural developneat
in its place, just as much as tidiness.
WEED CONTROL
Weeds as undesirable plants on <strong>road</strong>sides fall into three categories:
(i) highway weeds obscuring sightlines and signs. Plants that encroach
onto the carriageway or damage it,
(ii) agricultural weeds and the statutory obligations under the Weeds Act
(19591,
(iii) amenity weeds that are considered unsightly, e.g. hogweed (Heracleum
or likely to invade gardens, e.g. dandelions (Taraxacum
Highway weeds
These are specifically tall growing plants that can cause a visibility hazard,
of which cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) was mentioned by 27 counties, nettles
(Urtica dioica)(including an element of unsightliness) by 14, hogweed (~eracleum
sphondylium) (also considered unsightly) mentioned by five counties, hemlock