Hedges and Trees overhanging pavements and roads in Dorset
Hedges and Trees overhanging pavements and roads in Dorset
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It always amazes me how people, especially the senior managers of Councils, such as Dorset Council are unable to comprehend that trees will self seed. Quite as to how they're unable to comprehend that if you do not strim an area of verge or border every year, then it will quickly become overgrown with bushes and self seeding trees.
Some years ago whilst driving through Verwood, I witnessed a chap with a white stick walking along a pavement. I was saddened to see how shocked and frightened he was as he was repeatedly struck on the head by low branches. These branches were coming from a private front garden, and hanging low.
I reported it to Dorset Council Highways, and as per usual there was minimal action, with failure to remove all the low branches to clear the public highway.
I have on multiple times reported overhanging vegetation that hits the roof of trucks and vans, and reported thick branches hiding in the overgrown hedge, that smash wing mirrors.
I guess there's been four or five Chief Executives at Dorset Council over this time, who have refused to address the Directors who are refusing to manage failing managers - or are refusing to train staff and check on their work
whilst taking home their large, unearned salaries.
Please feel free to download the attachment at the bottom of this page of Dorset Council's guide for Landowners on their duties with regards to cutting their trees, hedges and bushes back.
Land owners have a duty by Act of Parliement to ensure that their trees, bushes and plants do not obstruct the public highway, be that road, pavement or footpath.
It is unacceptable for people with poor eyesight to walk in to low hanging vegetation just because the land owner fails to maintain their vegetation.
It is also unacceptable for pedestrians to have to step in the road in order to pass someone else just because of vegetation or parked cars. Pavements are a minimum width in order to allow two people to pass each other or for a parent to walk whilst pushing a pram and holding a child’s hand.
The Bird breeding season
Trees and bushes should not be cut between March and September. This is why it is imperative to cut your boundary vegetation back to well within your boundary before the bird breeding season starts, so that any growth through the summer will not obstruct paths, pavements and roads.
However, it is possible to get consent to do works where public health or safety or access are an issue. And it is acceptable to snip off long stragglers that are causing a nuisance to highway users.
Dorset Council's document on Hedges, trees and the highway.
Dorset Council's document on Hedges, trees and the highway.
Having hedges and tree branches cut back greatly improves road safety. You can see further, it allows you to see around minor curves in the road, and pedestrians on the road stand out more compared to when walking next to an overgrown hedge.
Where minimal effort is given, branches will quickly obstruct the public highway again. This is one of the biggest issues in Dorset, of untrained staff not cutting vegetation back far enough to keep the public highway clear until the next scheduled cut.
The bank that hedges sit on
The bank that hedges sit on
It is as important to keep the bank of the hedge clear of vegetation, as it is to keep the hedge itself cut back. Strimming the side surface of the bank stops tall weeds, like nettles, from constantly falling across the path.
Hedges on the other side of a Highways ditch
Hedges on the other side of a Highways ditch
Where a Highways drainage ditch sits next to a hedge, it is important to ensure that the hedge is cut back to the top of the ditch bank.
This reduces the amount of leaf litter that falls into the ditch, and stops the hedge from growing across the ditch and rooting in the highway verge - as per Figures 5 and 6.
Here we have,
A Pedestrian footway - Pavement.
Highways verge.
Highways drainage ditch.
The field hedge, sat on its soil bank.
Here,
The hedge has been cut back to the top of the ditch bank.
The verge has been cut - which keeps it clear of self setting trees and spreading hedge roots.
The ditch has been dug.
Here,
The hedge has not been cut.
The lower branches over the verge have been cut back with minimal effort.
The verge has been cut.
The ditch has not been dug.
The higher branches are still obstructing the pavement.
Here,
The verge has been cut.
The hedge has not been cut.
The ditch has not been dug.
Here,
The hedge has not been cut.
The longer branches at the bottom of the hedge have by cut back with minimal effort.
The verge has not been cut.
The ditch has not been dug.
Nothing has been done for many years.
Hedge has been allowed to cross the ditch and grow out of verge surface - because of complete lack of Highway Authority work to cut verge once a year.
Hedges overhanging the public highway
Hedges overhanging the public highway
Trees overhanging a public highway
Trees overhanging a public highway
Hedges obstructing Street lighting
Hedges obstructing Street lighting
Trees obstructing Street lighting
Trees obstructing Street lighting
Street lights are not just there to show motorists where the road goes. They are also there to illuminate the Carriageway and Footway/Pedestrian path for pedestrians. With street lights illuminating the carriageway correctly, also helps motorists to see any pedestrian or cyclist that is on the road.
Many trees and hedges are overgrown, blocking the illumination from the light from spreading out, and in some cases - blocking the illumination from even reaching the pavement.
When viewed along the pavement, you should be able to see the whole street lamp, and the next one if the pavement follows a fairly straight line.
If you can see one lamp, but the next one along is obscured - then tree work is required. If any part of the nearest lamp is obscured then tree work is required.
You can see here that absolutely no consideration has been given to the use of the pavement by pedestrians in the evenings and early mornings.
When viewed from the other side of the carriageway, you should be able to see the whole streetlamp. You should also be able to see that there are no branches between the lamp head and the pavement, and between the two lamps.
Where the land owner has failed to provide correct maintenance to the trees, the lights become lost in the branches. It seems odd how people are unable to understand how much leaves and branches obstruct the light from a lamppost.
Examples of poor hedge management in Dorset
Examples of poor hedge management in Dorset
Then on the left, and now on the right. Street lights doing nothing
This is a "Visibility verge", created by Dorset highways so that traffic can see around the blind corner. And then they stopped cutting it, and consistently refused to cut it since.
Examples of poor tree management in Dorset
Examples of poor tree management in Dorset
This is a typical example of a modern housing development in Dorset.
The streetlamps have been installed on the opposite side of the road to the pavement.
The Council have failed to consider who will maintain the boundary line, and what vegetation will self seed along an unkept area.
This is the same area, 10 years later.
Numerous trees have self seeded, and not obstruct the street lamps - which give minimal illumination.
Requests to Dorset council to address the issue results in a few branches being begrudginyly cut back from directly in front of the lamppost. But absolutely no effort is attempted to clear the vegetation back to the boundary so that the lights can illuminate sideways as well as directly in front of them
Due to the nature of trees and hedges, the minimal work is quickly replaced by new growth.
This bus shelter (and all the pavement) at Chickerell is in complete darkness.
For reasons only known to Planners, large species (in this case Chestnut) were planted far to close to the road. Not only do the branches illegally obstruct the public highway, but most of the street lights around the area provide absolutly no illumination for pedestrians/
With regards to my earlier post about vegetation.
I spent many years truck and van driving, and have had numerous mirrors and more damaged by overgrown bushes and trees.
The Highways Act is very clear on land owners responsibilities, and that includes Dorset Council.
Perhaps 15 years ago, whilst in Verwood I witnessed a person with a white stick being terrified as he walked along a roadside pavement (footway). The chap was repeatedly being struck on the head by overhanging vegetation, that he couldn't see.
I reported it, and as per usual, 6 inches was cut off the ends of the overhanging vegetation, that was left overhanging.
After a stream of emails to senior management, Dorset County Council produced this A4 pamphlet, around 2012. But since then, there has been no attempt to provide this to all staff and managers, so that they know what the land owners duty is - and what is required of them as The Highway Authority. Remember, it is the land owner who is supposed to "keep the highway clear at all times", and it is up to the Highway Authority to ask that person to keep the Highway clear at all times. If the land owner refuses, then the Highway Authority has powers to carry out the works, and then charge the land owner the full cost of the work, which can be recovered in court if necessary.
Things are so bad at Dorset Council, that Dorset Council has a former Highway Inspector, who is now a Highways manager - who genuinely thinks that rain water will drain away down through clay.
Other Highway Inspectors refuse to contact the land owners, to cut their vegetation back to avoid confrontation. Instead, they send council labourers out at the tax payers' expense. This includes to Chickerell Town Council.
There are also Dorset Council Tree Officers who appear unaware that any branch overhanging the public highway within certain heights should be cut back, and cut back to 500 mm outside of the highway. This 50 cm is to allow room for the plant to grow before the next scheduled cut without it obstructing the highway.
There is also the issue of Highway drainage, and inspectors and labourers being unaware of Highway drainage pipes going across the highway beneath the carriageway, so that water can drain down to a lower place. Water doesn't always drain down into the ground. Even limestone that has been smeared by the action of a digger bucket sweeping across it will form a waterproof membrane.
Places like Church Steet at Upwey, the Coast Road between Bagwell Farm and Portesham, and the road from Portesham to Winterbourne Abbas constantly flood when it rains because the Highway Inspectors are unaware of drainage pipes that crosses the road - which is completely blocked. One of the roads from Long Bredy to Litton Cheyney is always flooding, due to drainage, and blocked culverts along the roadside Highways drainage ditches.
I was so fed up hearing from senior management of Dorset Council that ALL their staff are trainer, that I submitted an FOI to Dorset Council to provide a list of all positions/levels of staff that receive training, all and any literature as PDFs of any course notes, instructor's notes, policies and any other thing that proves training. As per usual from Dorset Council, the FOI had to be extended, and the final response had nothing more than attempts to mislead whilst quoting unprovided policies and legislation.
So the issue isn't just a matter of reporting an issue, again. It's a matter of Dorset Council removing their arrogance, and layers of managers who like to mislead - and actually learn from the lessons, and train everyone - instead of fobbing people off
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