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

Table 9 shows details by counties of the use of growth retarder chemicals to
control growth, and particularly the height, of vegetation on rural <strong>road</strong>sides. Of
the 58 counties visited, 42 did not intend to use growth retarders at all in 1972;
a number of them were opposed to the use of chemicals for this purpose on amenity
or environmental grounds. Others, however, would have been prepared to use them
in 1972 (or at any time in the future) if there seemed to be an economic advantage.
The 16 counties that did intend to use growth-retarders in 1972 are classified below:
(a) Extensive use (over 100 miles of verge)
Cornwall - start of 3 year trial on 80 miles of Trunk <strong>road</strong>s and up to
1000 miles of a 9-12 inch band at the bottom of hedgebanks
inaccessible to cutting machines.
Gloucestershire - about half the mileage of Trunk and Class I <strong>road</strong>s
(approximately 440 miles of verge).
Staffordshire - all Trunk and Class I <strong>road</strong>s (358 miles 5 716 miles of
verge) and any other <strong>road</strong> as required.
West Suffolk - 242 miles of verge on Trunk and Class I <strong>road</strong>s in 1972 but
discontinuing in 1973.
Carmarthenshire - all Trunk (95 miles) and about 20 miles of Class I
<strong>road</strong>s, approximately 230 miles of verge.
(b) Restricted use
Warwickshire - about 28 miles of verge mostly on dual carriageway central
reserves.
Worcestershire - about 15% of Principal <strong>road</strong>s (? 37 miles of <strong>road</strong>).
Breconshire - some Trunk and Class I <strong>road</strong> <strong>verges</strong> (but see Table 5, p.24).
(c) Minor local use. Central reserves, round crash barriers, on inaccessible
banks etc.
Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Anglesey,
Glamorgan and Monmouthshire (restricted use after 8 or 9 years of
extensive use, see p.38).
The reasons given for using sprays and some other details are analysed below.
It is assumed that the users are generally satisfied with the degree of control of
growth that they obtain.
(a) Extensive users:
Cornwall - for control of growth of vegetation in dangerous (central
reserves) or inaccessible (hedge bottoms) situations.
Gloucestershire - to liberate machines in early part of the year to work
on non-principal <strong>road</strong>s. Hope to get a complete seasons control of
growth after spraying but may have to cut once as well later in the
season.
Staffordshire - to save labour and put back date of first mowing. Also
for weed control. Spray application in spring may be followed by
two or three cuts of the first swath, or by a second spray in the
autumn.
(West Suffolk - to liberate machines for use on less important <strong>road</strong>s. In
1971, but not 1972, chemical spraying was cheaper than cutting-)